My Brief Life Writing Smut by Bob Kalish
"I went home and locked myself in the extra bedroom. The raciest photo was one of her reclining in a pair of mesh pantyhose. My job was to write a letter in her voice. even though we had never met..."…
Articles
Sell Your Kids’ Book to Schools! by Kate Williams
Bookshops tend to play safe with official, paying publishers. But present your book to schools, and you’ll likely have kids and staff queuing up to buy it.…
The 12-Hour Shift for Working Writers – By Kyle Stark
I’m 25 years old, and I’ve taken critical, progressive steps toward being able to make living as a traveling writer. I’ve accomplished this much by being wise with my time, and by working 12 hour shifts...…
How I Get Article Ideas From Newspaper Archives by Elizabeth Yetter
Sometimes I would pick an unusual word or phrase to research through the archives, such as eugenics or chewing gum, and I would find articles on the views of the time or the latest trends. This led me to write articles on the viewpoints of eugenics in the early 1900s and another article on the chewing gum trends of the early 1900s. Both of these articles were accepted for publication. …
Handling Negative Comments by S.E. Batt
When starting out as a freelance, there’s a lot of advice to help you out. From…
Looking for a Novel New Year’s Resolution? How about READ MORE BOOKS?! By Wendy Hobday Haugh
In December 2005, at age 52, I suddenly realized I was a pathetic book-reader. Here I…
How to Use Writer Retainer Agreements to Keep Your Business in the Black by Jennifer Brown Banks
Writer’s Agreements can be the ticket to economic stability and freelance success.…
How To Write About Your Life Without Crossing The Line by Aris Apostolopoulos
I had to explain to them that nobody really cared if they had just pooped on their boyfriends’ beds and they broke up with them (true story), nor their “scandal” is comparable to the Watergate or something huge like that. However, since I hate grumbling, I developed some techniques to help me avoid it:…
How I Turned LinkedIn Into a Freelance Lead Generating Machine…in Just 15 Minutes! by Lindsey Danis
With just 15 minutes of work, I created a lead generating machine that's brought me 1-2 leads per week and helped me land one big client. Here's what I did and how I'd advise other writers to use the site to attract clients.…
Can You Publish Other People’s Emails and Letters? by Harvey Randall, Esq.
[This article is for information purposes and it is not intended to serve as legal advice.]…
How To Be A Paid Freelance Writer WHILE Attending School! By Elise Peregrin
Because I am a young, poor and hopeful amateur, I have been spreading my arms like a greedy octopus in all directions looking to build a solid portfolio. …
Temptations and Stumbling Blocks of the Home Office By Jayne Thurber-Smith
I’m a self-employed writer and I’m a terrible boss to myself. It’s an act of God that I somehow never miss a deadline, because I definitely value quality over efficiency in my home office. Why can’t I ask myself for both? …
Writers, It’s Time to Give Yourself a Raise! Here’s How! by Neil Tortorella
Rates are an often overlooked part of the four “Ps” of marketing – Product (or service),…
Technology In The Third World: Always Issues, Always Workarounds! By Ryan Hotchkiss
It is an exaggerated understatement to say a writer abroad without internet has a problem. But, although conventional means of acquiring internet access may not be an option, there is always a workaround.…
Oooooh! Getting PAID to Eavesdrop! by Jeanine DeHoney
We were often told not to eavesdrop as children. As a writer though, eavesdropping is the quintessence of good fiction. It gives us a bird’s eye view of other people’s voices and their melodramas. We hear their inflections, their accents if they are from a different country, and get the chance to obtain information about their life. This adds another layer to our characters as we begin to build their profile. It also makes our fiction more relatable; fiction editors are more prone to publish and readers are more inclined to read.…
How to Sell More Books at Stalls and Signings! by J Harker Shaw
So you’ve written your book. My sincere congratulations and kudos. It’s not easy, and takes a…
From Blog To Book! The Journey From Blogger To Author By Neil Tortorella
If you've been on the fence about writing a book, go for it. You'll be glad you did. Landing a publishing contract is another story, but, the bottom line is that if you never try, you'll never know. You don't want to be sitting in the 'ole retirement home at 90 thinking what might have been. You're capable of doing more than you think. All it takes is some organization, both in your thinking and your productivity, and a story that your audience is interested in learning more about. Command of your language du jour is rather helpful, too.…
Topic, Common Themes, and Winners of the WritersWeekly.com Fall, 2016 24-Hour Short Story Contest!
The dark water racing under the bridge contrasted sharply with the yellow and orange leaves riding atop the ripples. Balding maple trees shadowed the riverbank while the remains of a cornfield rustled violently in the cold wind. Standing on the cobblestones by his trusty wooden cart, he shivered. It was going to be a bad winter but they were well prepared. Suddenly, a strong gust brought the sound of maniacal laughter. He stepped quickly to the back of the cart, and threw back the burlap cover...…
REWRITING EXECUTIVE PROFILES?! LinkedIn’s Largely Untapped Goldmine! By Kevin MacConkey
Take one look through your LinkedIn connections and their profiles and it becomes increasingly clear how bad some people are in the English language. Someone should help these folks and straighten out their grammar and their, they're, there's. What I've figured out through some inquisition and experimentation, is that most business people would gladly pay to have us professional writers rewrite their profiles and even ghostwrite their published posts for them.…
BookLocker Was My Gateway For Landing A Traditional Contract WITH an Advance! – By Michael Brian Murphy
Fortunately, I found BookLocker, who published NLD From the Inside Out in both POD and ebook formats, with a generous royalty rate. Angela and Richard and their whole team provided excellent customer service: helping me navigate all the pitfalls of a novice author, and even went to bat for me when Amazon.com started causing problems for publishers…
Use People-watching as Inspiration for Your Fiction Characters! by Julie Guirgis
People watching is an essential part of being a writer and lesson in human nature. How this is done is by seeing people’s bad and good habits, distinctive temperaments, tastes, and appearances, and deepest longings and fears. It involves watching people to get an insight into the beauty and rhythm of the community around us.…
My Child Wrote A Book!!! But, Can We Publish It? by Harvey Randall, Esq.
Your child has written a book and a number of friends who have read it have remarked that it is great, and should be published. Your child then tells you he or she has decided to become an author, and wants to have the book published. You quickly respond “okay,” and then, realizing what you said, you ask yourself a number of questions: Can my child actually publish a book?…
Use Snapchat to Sell Your Book(s) or Writing Services to Millennials! by Joan Selby
The millennial generation has famously been dubbed as the “Selfie” generation. While some have contested this…
6 Mind Games For Writers (queue Twilight Zone theme song NOW…) By Jayne Thurber-Smith
I used to love flying kites with my kids when they were little. Just yesterday, as I tackled a challenging writing assignment (is there any other kind?), I experienced the exact same feelings of kite-flying. My mind flashed back ten years to playing at the park. First came the weak, failed attempts of trying to get it airborne; the running and throwing, the frustration, the phrases of “this sucks!” or even worse “this will never work.” Then unexpectedly, gloriously, the kids and I got to see the kite finally catch the right combination of wind current and momentum and take off, with no more effort required on my part. I hung on and watched the kids’ cute SpongeBob kite appear to literally dance on air. Then came the inevitable and sad ending. Whether caused by me reeling the kite in because it was time to go or by the wind calling it quits, SpongeBob would crash to the ground with an abrupt thud.…
14 Paying Faith Markets for Writers By Laura Yeager
As life brings me more trials, I’ll “digest” them and turn them into spiritual articles and essays for others just trying to get through the day on this difficult path we call life. God willing. I encourage you to try your hand at writing for God. Examine your life. Read the Bible--or whatever religious guide to which you aspire. Pray about it. I’m sure He will assist you.…
Has Your Writing Been Rejected? At Least Your Hand Didn’t Get Chopped Off! By B J Bassett
Writing isn’t for wimps, or for those who are sensitive or thin skinned. It’s for writers who believe in themselves and their work, and realize that rejection is part of the business. Even with a thick skin, rejection hurts. Writers labor over their creations, and rewrite, trying to find that perfect word. Our manuscripts are like our babies. We send them out into the world, only to be rejected. Anyone who puts pen to paper knows the sting of rejection. It goes with the territory.…
How To Book Yourself Out With Freelance Work For Three Months by Laura Pennington
You can breathe a huge sigh of relief when you book so much work that you're going to be busy for the next couple of months. This allows you to turn off your marketing machine instead to focus solely on client delivery.…
A Squirrel Pee’d On Me! How To Use Catchy Titles To Attract More Readers – By Laura Wing
What if I told you there was a great way to attract more readers to your blogs, books, status updates or other writings? What if I told you there was a way that goes beyond great SEO, or in-store book signings? What if I told you attracting more readers is as simple as coming up with a catchy title for your work?…
Amazon’s Actions Lead To Angry Readers, And May Have Killed My Sponsorship Deal! By Wendy Lou Jones
For those of us whose books are listed on the infinite Amazon platform, working with a ‘900-pound gorilla’ has not always been easy. Small press publishers and authors alike have occasionally had to listen to the temper tantrums of that engorged beast as it flexed its muscles (searching for more bananas, no doubt). As the owner of RK books, I have experienced things that can only be described as ‘Amazon issues’ with one of our titles.…
4 Ways to Get Your Book Reviewed! by AmandaEmma
There are lots of self-published authors out there who have no idea how to write a good book review request! I have read numerous posts and articles from authors claiming they know how to write the best book review requests. The thing is...they are usually wrong. So, I am here today with a few tips for sending in review requests that will hopefully give you more acceptances and fewer rejections.…
Publish Or Withdraw? How To Deal With A Heavy Editor… By Aris Apostolopoulos
Dealing with a heavy editor is not only frustrating but it's a process that can definitely hurt you as a writer as well. Writers already have to deal with insecurities the industry fills us with. We will read a book, a short story, a feature. We may feel down because another writer has written something at a level we believe we will never reach. We will hear about a six-figure author and disappointment will knock on our door, especially when we are dealing with a cash flow issue.…
New Magazines Can Mean Long-Term Writing Gigs And 7 Other Tips For Freelance Writing Success – By Wanda Waterman
Let me save you a little time on your freelance road trip and bring you closer to a profitable writing career by sharing the common wisdom that didn't work for me — and what eventually did.…
Grab The Helm! Creative Prospecting Will Make You The Captain Of Your Own Salary! By Matt Gallus
When writing for a livable income, it can sometimes feel like you're navigating through harsh and unforgiving waters. On the left, you have the sharp, jagged rocks, and in every other direction, you have enormous waves crashing over your deck, calling you to the bottom. One wrong move and your salary will be feeding the sharks and man-eating squid. Argh! What does a writer do to fight back when his sword has fallen off the ship? Luckily, Ol' Captain Matt Gallus has read enough books to know a thing or two about killing the problem with your bare hands. I'll show you how!…