Sometimes I feel that the story is a winner. But if the judges do not agree with me, that is never the end of the tale. I begin to reshape, sharpen and generally revise. I correct any plot holes and look for a logical flow. And, then I...…
I met a woman who was looking for screenwriters. She liked one of my poems, and offered to help make it into a screenplay. Little did I know at the time but her method for doing this was to teach me how to write screenplays. I’ve since written five, we've sold a TV pilot, and one of our screenplays has been optioned. I can’t stress enough the importance of having a mentor.…
I was an excellent writer, so I was very excited to hear that people made excellent livings online in the comfort of their own homes or wherever they pleased, writing about topics they were passionate about.…
WritersWeekly is out of success stories! We pay $40 for around 400 words. Please query us!…
Then I had a light bulb moment and realized my love of nature could inspire me to write articles for magazines. So I queried Creation Illustrated magazine on writing a feature on the Blue Morpho butterfly and they said...…
The desire to help people and the love of the written word have enriched my life in many ways. And, at times, I have questioned my worth in both areas. …
There are plenty of writing opportunities, freelance and on a regular basis, for those interested in writing about raising children and parenting issues in general. You don't need to be a parent in order to find material or outlets (attention, educators and other youth professionals) but parents and guardians of children of various ages can find many places to pitch their work. And the "doting parent" angle can help.…
It is so easy to get bummed out by the lack of a promising income when you begin a writing career. Sometimes it can take a few months or even a few years until you discover the right methods, the best schedule, and the perfect publishers to help you reach your income goals.…
Calling all ‘egg-heads’ – you know who you are – this one is for you. No…
"Think outside the box when it comes to what it means to write freelance; if you confine your idea of writing freelance to journalistic articles only, it will be difficult to write for a living. "…
Doubling one's income is quite a feat. Tripling it? Better yet. I did it in one year using LinkedIn, current clients, a job board, and synchronicity. Here's the low-down on my three-tiered marketing angle.…
With this new awakening I put pen to paper and stated writing my experiences down in my journal, savoring every moment of this significant experience.…
Soon enough, I landed my first job writing a script only a few days after my initial search. After two weeks of editing and revising, the director sent me $1,200.…
Uh oh! We’re out of success stories! Please query us! BUT, READ OUR GUIDELINES FIRST. They’re…
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.…
