Published on March 12, 2014
As many new-to-the-scene freelancers do, I began my career on a well-known outsourcing platform many years ago. In the earlier days of copywriting on the web, there weren’t many rules guided by search engine algorithms like there are today. For this reason alone, I seemed to have a lot of time to research my new career’s possibilities. Having started writing when it was common to earn one dollar per 500 word article, I always assumed I’d have nowhere to go but up…
Published on March 5, 2014
I had to run an errand yesterday morning. This is the high season here on Florida’s gulf coast. We’re overrun with snowbirds and we don’t mind because their vacation dollars keep us from paying state income tax. During the high season, the traffic is pretty bad here so I was surprised when, pulling out of our neighborhood, there was no cars at all. I turned right, away from the island. About a mile up the road, I could see lots of flashing lights. No traffic was coming my way. They had the road closed down, and were forcing all the cars to turn around.
I stopped at the light. My windows were open and a guy walking by asked, “What’s going on down there?”
I replied, “I have no idea!”
Published on March 5, 2014
This week, I want to share a query letter l I received…
Published on March 5, 2014
I love WritersWeekly. I really appreciate the consistency and accuracy.
Patti
Published on March 5, 2014
writing career advice
Sometimes we writers get hitched to the wagon and steed on a blazing trail headed to nowhere fast. That blazing trail for our purposes may be the pipe dream magazine of a bitter editor. It might be a newspaper making due at just the middle ground with no path to better real estate. It may be the dead end online portal for pulp entertainment and sports write ups that don’t really get you the Pulitzer you dream of. Whatever it is, eventually you have to have a heart to heart with yourself about your ambitions as a writer. When is it time to move on to greater adventures? That, my friends, is the million dollar question…
Published on March 5, 2014
I have a few articles about optics (binoculars, spotting scopes, riflescopes, etc.). Any guidance in where I may publish them?
Published on March 5, 2014
Six months ago, I landed a contract with a local non-profit editing articles for their newsletter. They needed a freelancer because staff downsizing had eliminated several staff positions and the few staff who remained were overloaded. After three months of editing, and spending time going back and forth with the staff person who took over design and layout, I asked the director of communications if I could take over that part of the project in addition to editing…
Published on February 26, 2014
Zach (age 27) has a new girlfriend! She’s 29 years old, really friendly, and in advertising. We liked her immediately!
Published on February 26, 2014
For the past six weeks, we’ve spent every spare moment judging the hundreds of entries submitted for the WritersWeekly Winter, 2014 24-Hour Short Story Contest. In case you’re not familiar with our quarterly contest, this is how it works. On the date of the contest, at start-time, we send out the topic for that specific contest to all registered entrants, while also posting it on WritersWeekly.com. Entrants must be registered before the contest begins and there is a limit of 500 participants per contest. Entrants then have 24 hours to write and submit their stories via email. The stories “must deal with the topic in some way to qualify” and they must not exceed the pre-assigned word count, which is announced with the topic.
After reading the entries for each contest, we can see how difficult it is to come up with a unique plot when working with an assigned topic. But, inevitably, a few writers do manage to successfully break away from the pack.
Published on February 26, 2014
Letters will return next week.
