I realized that the ‘thinking about it” stage had gone on long enough. I either needed to take action and make it happen or get a “real” full-time job that would provide a stable income for my large family...…
Sitting in that traffic jam, I attempted to count up how many article ideas and query letters I had sitting half-finished on my hard drive. I lost count at more than 30.…
I'd just finished a book for a traditional New York publisher and was waiting on a promised contract from another publishing house. Because I knew I'd be working on a book soon, I didn't want to get involved in a major project...but I also wasn't sure what to do to scratch my creative itch - or contribute to our family funds. …
Roughly one year ago, I officially left employment to engage in personal pursuits. As a multi-potentialite,…
Travel has been a lifelong passion of mine. I have worked at a variety of jobs…
It’s hard to turn down a publishing contract, even when you know you shouldn’t sign it.…
As a young journalist with a lot of promise, my sudden resignation shocked the whole office.…
In the spring of 2016, I sent a pitch for an article on an interesting autism program in my city to an editor at a local online magazine. I’ve written for this magazine before, so the editor accepted, and then turned the assignment into a comprehensive overview of autism services around the city.…
I am coming up on a year of working in LA startups as an all around…
“Very few publishers of erotica convert the titles into audio books,”... “But, given the popularity of smartphones and iPads, most set-up with audio apps, it’s easy to assume there is and will be a market for books, erotica among them, in audio format."…
Way back in the 1980’s, after graduating high school, I went to work for my father’s plumbing company. For over twenty years, I made my living as a plumber until my body began to break down. After two shoulder surgeries and a chronic back problem, I realized it was time to find a new line of work.…
Isn’t the Internet wonderful? You can post, like, email, chat, and tweet your way to a myriad of job opportunities! With such an array of employment prospects literally at my fingertips, it is no wonder I sometimes forget the more old school (my children might say “old fashioned”) methods of networking.…
After 30 years in an administrative, management and corporate career, I knew I’d had enough. The…
Reading and writing were never my “thing.” As a young child, I actually despised both. I used to say, “Who has time to read?” and “WHY would someone read for fun?” and “WHY write anything more than your name down on a piece of paper?”…
When I first decided to go on the path of freelance writing, I have to admit…
One of the greatest accomplishments of my freelancing career was landing a $50,000 book editing deal less than 18 months in. Bear in mind that up to this point most of my experience with editing had been quite small in comparison. I had looked over a couple of people's academic papers and edited my own master's thesis. But I had never handled a project of this size.…
OK, I'll admit it. Sometimes I'm a chicken. I prefer the tried and true to going out on a limb and experiencing something new any day. I shop in the same stores, vacation at the same resort and order the same entree at my usual restaurant. I never even crack open the menu. It works for me, so why change?…
Often, people ask what advice I would give to writers hoping to break into the industry and my answer is always the same: don't stop trying. Never stop trying.…
After writing for secular publications, I was looking for a new market to tap into. I knew that having a wide net of markets to write for would increase my chance of publication, and add to my income. I turned to writing for the Christian market as it incorporates thousands of publications that touch nearly every aspect of life and faith. With its diversity of markets, often boasting large readerships and broad spectrums of content, the Christian niche presented a wonderful opportunity for me.…
Fictional tales in writers' heads aren't the only thing that can bring us money. Writing can transform items in our homes into dollars.…
Back in 2009, I would never have been able to predict that I would end up in a dream career working as a freelance writer. I also would never have predicted how hard I would truly hit bottom before I saw my dream become a reality. The year 2009 was right in the middle of the economic fallout the United States was struggling through. Back then, I had a big home in an upper-class neighborhood and my husband and I both worked for a truck plant. When the economy took a turn for the worse, the plant closed. My husband and I ended up losing our jobs, home and savings. With three children, we scrambled to get our footing.…
All my life I’ve distracted myself from writing, keeping myself inordinately busy, rarely leaving myself a moment, a space, a lapse. Except in my dreams. Some dreams felt as vivid as a movie. One dream begged me to make it into a book. A few decades later, I finally did.…
Last October I turned 81 and I'm still writing, still enjoying it, and still getting paid for it.…
Sharing success with others by extending encouragement and concrete opportunities to newcomers and seasoned writers alike…
Until I stumbled into this little side gig of translating Italian poetry, my idea of poetry didn't go much further than "Roses are red..." etc., etc. Occasionally, I read, and reread, and tried to understand some of the poetry published in The New Yorker. First of all, it didn't rhyme, so that threw me off. Then, on many occasions, even after a third or fourth read, I was still asking: "Say what?" I must have snoozed through the poetry segment in English class because all this free flowing thought was a puzzle to me. And now, I was being asked to translate it.…
Getting extra mileage from an interview by writing multiple articles on the same subject, each with a different slant, not only nets bylines and paychecks, but also helps freelancers develop a more intuitive, multi-dimensional approach to interviewing. This may sound like a no-brainer. But, sometimes a writer gets so caught up in pursuing exciting new topics it becomes incredibly easy to overlook the many additional stories that a past interview might provide. …
Want to work "smarter, not harder" this year? Strategic guest posting is the ticket! In fact, Leo Babauta, mega-successful blogger, author, and creator of Zen Habits, (with more than 200,000 subscribers), states in an interview: "Guest posting is by far the best way to grow an audience."…
Half or more of published books are now self-published. I published my books myself and was set to 'reveal' by wonderfulness to the world. However, after selling it to friends and relatives, I still had boxes in my garage. My writing career was talking a dip! It was obvious, if I were going to sell those books, I would have to be my own promoter...…
The first article I ever submitted was accepted, published, and paid for - about $300, if I recall. And, I was hooked.…
When my father's dementia started to decline, I cut back on work to look after him. Facing the constant barrage of demands of looking after someone with dementia, my soul was craving more. I needed an outlet to stimulate my mind and something outside of caring. Not only did I want something to distract me from looking after Dad, but also something I could profit from financially.…
One day, while lazing about on Facebook, I stumbled upon a freelance writers' group. After researching the field, I discovered it was a viable venture...or at least the sites I sampled promised me so.…
When I was first offered a blog ghostwriting gig by Jim, a director of something-or-other for a tech company, it would've been putting it nicely to say I was underwhelmed. Via LinkedIn message, I was offered the chance to connect about a writing assignment. The lead seemed so low qualified that it was not until Jim messaged me again that I replied with (admittedly faked) interest. …
I was sitting on a floating dock in Montana, watching the sun set over a glassy pond, when I suddenly felt like quitting. …
