Angela Booth's Writing Blog

The blogging writer: your blog gives you confidence

One of the biggest benefits of blogging for a new writer is that your blog gives you confidence.

This is great news. Many new writers find that sending out their writing - article and book proposals, applications for online writing gigs and so on - takes real courage.

Questions buzz around in your skull: Is your writing publishable? Will you be rejected? Do you have talent?

It's perfect natural to be nervous when you're doing something new, but it's excruciating too.

When you publish on your blog, you can publish anywhere

Blogging is instant publishing. Press the "Publish" button on your blogging application, and hey presto - it's published, ready for one billion surfers to read.

When you get used to hitting the Publish button, editors and other buyers of your writing lose the power to intimidate you.

As many other blogging writers have found, your blog will make you more creative, and more confident. Publishing your writing suddenly seems natural, and you lose your self-consciousness.

Take the first step. Writing Success with Blogs by Angela Booth gets you started blogging.

Got a blog? If you're a blogging writer and your blog helped you to get over your shyness as a writer, please share your story in the Comments to this post.

Technorati Tags: blog your writing

Writing Books As A Dream Home Business

In Fab Freelance Writing Ezine this week, our article is "Writing Books As A Dream Home Business".

Here's an excerpt:

Writing books is a dream home business. You can write when, where and how it suits you, without a commute, and without a boss looking over your shoulder.

There's something else which makes writing books extremely attractive: since the rights to books are licensed, the author receives a royalty (somewhere between six and 15 per cent of the sales price) for each and every copy of his books which is sold, for years, and sometimes for decades, to come.

Unlike freelance writing for magazines or the Web, or copywriting, authors (writers who write books) are writing for long term income – for twice-a-year royalties arriving in their bank account, for years, as long as a particular book stays in print. Imagine if you've got royalties from five or more books flowing to you twice a year.

Read the rest of the article in Fab Freelance Writing Ezine this Wednesday.

Additional resources: my new membership site for authors and the site's accompanying blog, Just Write A Book Blog.

Technorati Tags: write a book

Getting started as a copywriter: building a new career

I receive questions about copywriting every week, so I'm publishing a tips series for new copywriters - it's the simplest way to answer your queries.

Not only do you receive a free report, but you get a new copywriting tip each week, especially for a novice copywriters. Enjoy. :-)

Technorati Tags: copywriting

(Mac) Leopard upgrade report - my writing tools all work

Cover Flow in the Finder

I've spent the weekend upgrading software after the release of Leopard, and so far it's been fun all the way.

Several Mac-using writers have contacted me to let them know how the upgrade went, so I hope this information helps you.

The upgrade to Leopard took around two hours, and went very smoothly, no hiccups at all. All my peripherals work, even my Palm, which was temperamental on Tiger.

My Mac writing tools all work fine; MS Office apps work, and so does Scrivener. I've covered writing tools on the Mac before, so I won't list them all again, but I've used them all under Leopard now, and they're fine.

Adobe's not updating older products for Leopard, but Adobe Creative Suite 3 applications will be updated in December. I'm still on version 8 for Dreamweaver and Fireworks, and they both work great under Leopard, so no hassles there.

Technorati Tags: writers' software

Around my writing blogs - stuff you may have missed

Here's some stuff you may have missed on my writing blogs:

* Just Write A Book Blog - writing books is the perfect home business, and characters' defining moments;

*  Fab Web Writer - Get Web writing cred - write a book and boost your credibility;

*  Fab Freelance Writing - Get writing gigs online and three vital tips

Technorati Tags: writing

Fiction: getting to know your characters

Miss Potter is a lovely gem of a movie. If you haven't seen it, rent it as soon as you can. It's a must-watch for novelists.

In it, Beatrix Potter knows her characters. They are real to her.

Without giving away the plot of the movie, there's a time when Beatrix can't draw or write. She's close to a breakdown. Watch what happens with her characters in the scene where she's trying to  write: it's truthful.

So how do you get to know your characters as well as Beatrix does hers?

You get to know them the same way you get to know people: you live with them, talk to them, listen when they talk to you.

You write down snippets of information about their history and their daily life. You journal about them and care what happens to them.

When you begin working with characters, you will "make them up." But as you continue to live with them, they will become as real to you as all the other people in your life. They will then become real to your readers too.

Discover more about creating characters which live in your heart, and your readers'.

Technorati Tags: fiction

Weekly Writers' Journal Prompts: Get emotional

My duhpreshun

As a writer, you need to be intimate with your emotions. If you understand your emotions, you will understand those of others, and you'll be able to portray emotional reactions effectively in your fiction.

Your journal can be immensely valuable as an "emotional" resource.

Use it to explore your emotions: How does an emotion feel in your body? What do you do when you're in the midst of a strong emotion?

This week, gauge your emotions. Label whatever you're feeling. Mostly we're unaware of our emotions unless they become strong, and when they're strong, we can be carried away by them.

Do your best. :-)

Here's an exercise. The next time you get bad news, or stub your toe, or someone annoys you, write in your journal.

Write:

* a brief five-sentence description of what happened - the event which triggered the emotion;

* a description of your physical reaction - blushing, tightness in your chest etc;

* physical actions - did you sit down? Walk around? Smash a plate?

* the aftermath of the emotion and how you feel. Emotions release powerful hormones, and these have a lingering effect. For example, if you're afraid, adrenaline is released, and it can leave you shaking.

Technorati Tags: journal

(Mac users only) Upgrading to Leopard

Oh, the excitement! I can't wait to get my hands on Mac OS X Leopard. This guide has  whetted my appetite; it's 20 minutes long, but it convinced me that the upgrade is worthwhile, just for the new Finder.

If you'll be upgrading this weekend, as I will, do take care and make a complete full system boot-able backup first, just in case something horrible like a power outage happens when you're in the middle of the upgrade.

SuperDuper makes a bootable exact copy of your disk:

The trick I used for my system upgrades/moves previously, and with the Leopard beta, was to run an exact copy to a Firewire disk using SuperDuper. SuperDuper is nice because you can at least make an exact copy of your disk that works well in the demo mode.

Have fun. :-)

How much money can you make when you write a book?

Good question. :-)

I might have known this would come up, but I've so far avoided mentioning how much you can make by writing a book on my new write a book membership site. However, I've had several email messages asking this very question, so let's take a stab at answering it.

Brenda Hiatt has a "show me the money" section on her site which is well-researched and accurate. For example:

Romance novels, for Avon/ HarperCollins earn out at:

Average advance (first book): $13,500
Average advance (subsequent books): $24,000
Advance range: $3500 - $100,000
Standard royalty percentage: 8%
Average earn-out: $26,000 Range: $7000 - $100,000

A small advance for a nonfiction book would be $20,000. Of course, your advance may be much more, depending on the projected sales and how well your agent negotiates.

There are many, many variables when you write a book. At the upper end of the pay scale, you've got JK Rowling, who's making billions from her Harry Potter series and the spin offs.

At the other end of the pay scale, you have authors who make a few thousand per book.

Publisher's Marketplace reports on book deals daily, in their Publishers Lunch.

So, how much can you make? The short answer is that it depends on the book. It's the long answer too, because as stated, there are many variables.

On my new membership site, we cover researching book deals and researching the market for YOUR book before you start writing. There's no point in writing a book for which there's no market. So if you're interested in writing a book and making money from it, join.

Technorati Tags: publishing

5 Dangers of Writing for the Web

In Wednesday's Fab Freelance Writing Ezine we cover the "5 Dangers of Writing for the Web".

Yes, Web writing is easy and if you know what you're doing the pay is great, but there are some dangers - from scammers, and from self-sabotage.

Here's the intro to "5 Dangers of Writing for the Web":

It's been said that online no one knows you're a dog – and when you consider all the fraudulent spam emails you receive, you know it's true.

When someone contacts you to write for them (or you respond to an ad or a Request For Proposals) you have no idea who they are. They may be legitimate – on the other hand, they may not.

The anonymity of the Web brings out the worst in some people, but as a writer, you're not anonymous: you're conducting your business, and your reputation is gold to you. Fraudsters and scammers trade on this: they know that you have your reputation to protect, and manipulate you using that knowledge.

Read the rest on Wednesday.

Technorati Tags: write for the Web

Can you write a book?

My exclusive new membership site for authors

Of course you can write a book. If you can fill a page with words, you can fill three hundred pages with words.

A book is more than a collection of pages, of course. A novel requires  engaging characters and a page-turner plot. A nonfiction book needs to meet a demand.

A publishable book needs much more:

* Your book needs an audience: the way publishing works today, you must prove to a publisher that an audience exists for your book. So market research is vital, before you start writing.

* Your book needs an agent and publisher;

* While you write, and after your book is published, you'll need to promote your book: as the author, that's a most important task, and all publishers require their authors to take an active role in marketing.

If you've ever thought "I could write a book", my exclusive new membership site will help you to not only write your book, but get it published too.

Join me on a great adventure - writing your book.

Technorati Tags: publishing, write a book

Giggle of the Day: Dumbledore

New - free report "Copywriting Confidential: How To Become A Freelance Copywriter"

Unsure whether YOU can become a freelance copywriter and earn a six-figure income? Subscribe to New Copywriter Tips and receive the 20-page "Copywriting Confidential: How To Become A Freelance Copywriter" report NOW completely free of charge.

Packed with valuable "how to" information on starting your own copywriting services business, this free report shows you how to earn while you learn to become a copywriter.

Get your free report - enjoy. :-)

Technorati Tags: copywriting

Writing accessories: Christmas gifts for writers

A frog pen stand from Levenger  - a whimsical gift that's sure to please.

The holiday shopping season has begun, so it's time to think of gift ideas for your  writer friends and colleagues.

Here are some ideas to start you thinking:

* Books - books are always welcome. Consider the latest bestseller in hardcover in your friend's favorite genre - or consider an ebook;

* Software - always useful. If you're not sure what a friend needs, ask discreetly :-);

* Desk accessories - a desk pad, pen holder, or lamp;

* A journal or diary;

* A book tote.

Of course, you should also start dropping hints about what gifts you'd like. :-)

Technorati Tags: Writing Tip

NaNoWriMo: time management so you can write a book in a month

Writing a novel is FUN. If you love to write, then covering a notepad or computer screen with words is just about the most fun you can have with your clothes on. Or off, come to that. :-)

With NaNoWriMo just a couple of weeks away, I posted "It's write-a-novel time again - here comes NaNoWriMo" with some links to some NaNoWriMo QuickStarts I wrote last year.

But know what? You don't need all that preparation. What you need is TIME. Nothing will derail your NaNoWriMo efforts faster than not having time.

I suggest that you clear a block of time either at the end of the day or at the beginning of the day, depending on whether you write better at night, or early in the morning.

For NaNoWriMo month, that hour or two is sacrosanct: you'll need to protect this time like a mama bear protecting her cub from others in your household, and from yourself too.

If you're going to tackle NaNoWriMo, tell yourself that no matter what, you'll show up for yourself and your writing each day.

So start thinking about how you'll clear that block of time now: it's vital to your success.

Good luck. :-)

Technorati Tags: NaNoWriMo