Angela Booth's Writing Blog

NaNoWriMo tools you need for your writing journey

Here comes NaNoWriMo again. Another month devoted to writing until your fingertips ache.

Good luck to you if you're taking part -- enjoy the journey. :-)

Here are tools to help.

Firstly, a couple of counters. All Freelance Writing » Blog Archive » 2 Free Word Count Trackers for Writers reports:

"Our second word count tracker is a cool little tool that you can use for much more than tracking your word counts. For example, if you set an income goal as a freelance writer and you want to keep your blog readers updated on your progress (for the year, month, or however long you choose), you can choose to track a dollar amount by entering that into our custom field. Or you can use our preset options to track words, pages, or posts (such as a certain number of blog posts each month). Do you know what’s really great about the custom field though? You can use this to track anything, even if it’s not writing-related! Need a weight loss tracker? Here you go! Want to count down until a vacation or other event? You can do that too! You can track just about anything you want!"

Next, some ideas for preparation.

* NaNoWriMo QuickStart 1: Pick a genre 

Think about what you'll write in November; start by picking a genre. 

* NaNoWriMo QuickStart 2: Be a squirrel

Squirel away the stuff you'll need in November.

* NaNoWriMo QuickStart 3: Your characters' professions

Choose professions for your characters.

* NaNoWriMo QuickStart 4: Write a character journal

Choose one character, and write his or her journal.

* NaNoWriMo QuickStart 5: Interview your hero and heroine

Following on from #5, it's time to interview your primary characters.

* NaNoWriMo QuickStart 6: Gear up with story boards

Have you discovered story boards? They're a great help to keep track of your story.

* NaNoWriMo QuickStart 7: Get organized

When you're writing a novel, you need to get comfortable with creative chaos... and then get organized. :-)

* NaNoWriMo QuickStart 8: List action scenes - fiction is not real life

In fiction, you leave out the boring bits. List your action scenes and write them.

* NaNoWriMo QuickStart 9: Get your story into shape

Conquer the dreaded middle of your novel (that's what ACTION scenes are for.)

* NaNoWriMo QuickStart 10: Ready for takeoff?

Final tips to help you through November...

You've only got a couple of days until the big day -- make the most of them. :-)

Quick Money Writing: Work from Home Writing Articles

Want to make quick money writing? There are many writing opportunities online, because there's a great need for content. So if you can write, you can meet the demand for Web articles.

1. You Can Get Paid to Write Articles

If you're used to writing in your job, you'll find writing Web articles is very simple.

These kinds of articles are short, often just 300 to 500 words, and they're written in an informal, and conversational style. Basically they're on topics for which people search online.

When you get hired to write, the business which is hiring you will usually give you the terms which they want you to use; these are called "keywords". These keywords may be words and phrases for which there are millions of searches each month, or they may be phrases for which there are only a few hundred searches.

Realize that in the beginning you won't make much money writing articles. This is because you don't have feedback (testimonials).

Articles have become a commodity online and in order to get better writing jobs for which you'll be paid a dollar a word, you'll need considerable experience.

Over time as your article writing skills improve, you'll be able to charge more. It's a big mistake to worry about what you're paid initially, because you're being paid to learn. So take any article writing jobs you can get, and ensure that you ask your buyers to give you feedback. You may need to nag them to do it, but make sure you do -- it's vital.

2. Visit Article Marketing Directories: Can You Write These Articles?

If you're not familiar with Web articles, visit several article directories, and read the articles posted there. Unfortunately at the moment most web content is of a very low standard. However the Web is becoming more competitive, so aim to write high quality articles. The better the quality, the more you can charge for your articles as you become more experienced.

3. Earn While You Learn

Writing articles is a way of making quick money, and you will learn as you earn. As you write for more people, you can develop your own list of buyers of your articles. At this stage you'll be able to choose your own article topics.

"If You're Not Making the Money You SHOULD be Making from Your Writing, Do You Realize That You Can Make $100,000 a Year, Just From Web Articles?"

Whether you're a new writer, or are an experienced pro, you can make great money writing web articles. Discover a fast and easy step by step process to launch your new web writing career in "Article Dynamite: Make $100,000 a Year Writing and Selling Articles".

Make money writing: subscribers get exclusives, which YOU don't

Not a member of Fab Freelance Writing Ezine? You may want to bite the bullet, and join.

Membership has its benefits.

Not only do you get my free writing tips, week after week, which will help you to make money from your writing, you also get exclusive offers.

These "exclusives" are strictly subscriber-ONLY. Subscribers receive up to 50 per cent off when I launch new writing guides. Since the offers are never repeated, you have only one way to receive them... and that's by joining us.

Offers are sent out three to five days before products are officially launched.

Of course, there's lots more to our writing tips ezine than offers, much more. Each week, I create an Editorial which shows you exactly HOW to do something or other. That "how to do it" is never revealed anywhere else; it's just for our members. (Ezine issues are not archived, they're removed. I don't want my hottest info to be publicly available, it's just for YOU.)

Is there currently a subscriber special? Yes, there is. But of course, I can't tell you what it is. You'll never know unless you subscribe... :-)

If you want it, join, and then watch for my email message -- I'll be sending out a "24 hours left" message to subscribers shortly.

Want to make great money writing? Discover the secrets of high-selling, highly paid writers, for free. Each week, Angela Booth's Fab Freelance Writing Ezine is delivered in easy-to-print PDF format. Join the thousands of other writers who are using the information to change their lives. You'll learn how to write, and how to sell. Angela's been writing for 30 years, and shares her knowledge with you.

My new Kindle: I think I'm in love

I've been lusting after Amazon's Kindle since it first came out. Unfortunately however, since I'm in Australia, the Kindle was out of reach... sob.

Naturally, as soon as the international Kindle was announced, I placed my order. Oh, the excitement!

After less than 24 hours of experience with the Kindle, here are my impressions.

What I don't like

* Pressing a button hard to turn a page. This seems outdated. I'd rather flick a page just as in a real book. I hadn't realized how much I've been spoiled by the iPhone's touch screen;

* The dinky screen. I'm a fast reader. I can get through a 400 page book in three hours, so the little six inch screen is a worry. I feel like a hamster in a science lab, pressing buttons for more food as I keep pressing to turn pages, and if I make the print smaller, I'll need new glasses;

* The flashing as the page "turns";

* Everything on Amazon isn't available in Kindle format.

Wow... Picky, aren't I? Until I wrote these things down, I hadn't realized just how many things I didn't like...

Nevertheless, I'm still very happy with the Kindle.

Here's why.

What I do like

* BOOKS on demand. If I see a book I may like to read, I can download a sample to my Kindle, and it's waiting for me as soon as I turn it on. I had seven samples ready to load onto my Kindle before it even arrived;

* Being able to buy a book and download it within seconds: that's real instant gratification. It's very, very easy to buy books this way. (Too easy? Is there a 12-step program for Kindle addicts? :-))

* The knowledge that I'll never ever be without something great to read. That panicky feeling as my To Be Read pile of books dwindles won't ever affect me again;

* Having my own Kindle page on Amazon, with all the ebooks I've purchased, so that if a disaster happens, I can download a book again.

Got any Kindle tips you'd like to share? Please share them in the Comments. If you've purchased another brand of ebook reader, please share your likes and dislikes.

Selling Writing Services: Manage Your Reputation Online

Managing the search results for your name helps to manage your reputation online

Want to manage your online reputation effectively? If you're selling your writing services, it's essential that you do so.

Your aim should be that when someone types your name into a search engine, your site, and other references to you, occupy the entire first page of the search results. 

As you can see in the image above, when I type in "Angela Booth" I've managed to occupy the first page of the Google results. Enter your own name into Google, and see what the results are. It's vital that you occupy as much of this real estate as possible.

Managing your reputation starts with your site.

1. Your Website Is You: Add Content, and Promote Your Site

Your primary sales tool is your website. Once your site is online, people can find you via the search engines. You get writing jobs without having to hunt for them.

I've always recommended to writers that rather than using a clever business name, they use their own name for their writing. If you're trying to promote both the business name, and yourself, it gets much too complicated. Unless you have a very good reason not to do so, use your own name as your business name.

So your first step in managing your reputation online is to add content to, and to promote your site. There's no substitute for this. It just has to be done. The more pages you have online, the more opportunities there are for people to find you via the search engines -- and the sooner you can stage an effective land grab for the entire first page of the search results when anyone searches for your name.

2. See What People Are Saying: Create Alerts for Your Name

The second step in managing your reputation online is to discover what people are saying about you.

Google provides an "alerts" system, which is a valuable tool for research. However it's valuable in another way. You can create an alert for your own name so that you'll notified whenever your name is mentioned online.

3. Get Active on the Social Networking Sites

Your activity on the social networking sites provides links back to your primary website and boosts it in the search engines. This means that you'll be found more easily.

These links also help you in your endeavor to grab the first page of the search results when anyone searches for you.

Want to make great money writing? Discover the secrets of high-selling, highly paid writers, for free. Each week, Angela Booth's Fab Freelance Writing Ezine is delivered in easy-to-print PDF format. Join the thousands of other writers who are using the information to change their lives. You'll learn how to write, and how to sell. Angela's been writing for 30 years, and shares her knowledge with you.

Writing: when you don't know what to write

Each week, I receive several requests, asking for advice on what to write.

It's an impossible question for anyone to answer, including the person who's asking the question.

If you're not sure what to write, just start writing. Sooner or later, you'll have your answer, because your writing will turn into: an article, the start of a book, a short story, a novel...

Writing is a lot of fun, when you allow yourself just to write. Writing is always a process of discovery, so you don't have to know where a particular piece of writing is going when you start to write.

If you want to write for money, the answer's a lot clearer. Write what people will pay you to write.

As I said in this article How to Write for Money Online - Choose What You’ll Write — Angela Booth's Fab Freelance Writing Blog:

"When You’re Starting out: Get Paid to Write for Others

Every business of any size - and many small businesses too - needs words. Finding those businesses is easy. Just go to any of the out-sourcing sites, and bid on projects. Write the projects you win, and ask your buyers for testimonials.

Those testimonials are vital: once you’ve gained some testimonials, you can make more money than you ever could on the out-sourcing sites by creating your own Web site, and selling your services there, directly to buyers who approach you."

Here's what to do when you don't know what to write

Anytime you feel the urge to write, just grab a pen and some paper, or create a new word processor file. Then just start writing until you want to stop.

That's truly all it takes.

Sometimes what you've written will amaze you. At other times, what you've written is nonsense.

However, the next time you sit down to write you'll find that the previous writing session has loosened you up. You're suddenly inspired. You couldn't have reached that blissful state of inspiration without the previous "nothing" session of writing.

So when you don't know what to write, just start writing. :-)

What inspires you?

Writing is much more fun, and it's easier too, when you're inspired. Your writing flows, like water along a burbling stream.

A writer contacted me yesterday, asking about inspiration, and my first inclination was to pooh-pooh it. "Inspiration? That's for wimps!" I grumbled. After all, writers write. Whether you're a full-time or part-time writer, if you hang about waiting for inspiration, you'll be a very skinny writer.

Then I thought about it... It occurred to me that somewhere along the line of 30 years of writing, I've learned to get inspired pretty much on demand.

That's nice for me, you may be thinking, but wait.

I made a list of what inspires me.

You may find it useful. Or not. :-)

1. Books. I read every day, for several hours, usually for amusement, rather than research. If I don't read for a couple of days, I find that I'm irritable and annoyed. I tend to get crushes on authors. Currently my crush is Ernest Haycox. I've read Bugles in the Afternoon many times, and I reread it whenever I want to be inspired.

2. Images. I love images. Photographs and paintings inspire me. I also like doodling. Images stimulate the right brain (creativity).

3. Music. I used to be able to listen to music while I write; I can't do that now. I need to focus on the music completely. My favorite genre is Early Music; especially the music of the Renaissance. I don't know why, but it's inspirational to me.

4. Walking. Whenever I get stuck, I go for a walk.

5. Meditation. I meditate every day. I do short meditations of a couple of minutes to clear my mind throughout the day as I switch from one project to another. (I use a couple of iPhone apps, they're great.)

What inspires you? Leave a message in the comments, or contact me if you'd rather leave a private message. You can also DM me on Twitter, if you prefer.

Writing: what do YOU want to see in the ezine?

I finally got organized with Fab Freelance Writing Ezine and created an Editorial Calendar. This makes it easier for me, because I can see what I'll be writing about in coming weeks.

FYI, next week's ezine theme is "Get Easy Writing Jobs Fast"; if you haven't got all the writing jobs you can handle, this issue will help you out. In coming weeks we discuss niche blogs, how to turn your writer's website into a money machine, and much more.

Now it's your turn. Please tell me what you'd like to see in upcoming issues. You can leave a message in the comments, or you can contact me, your choice.

Enjoy the ezine. :-)

Solve your writing challenges today: write more

Got a writing challenge?

All your challenges will dissolve when you write more. Writing is a process of discovery.

If you're not WRITING at least two hours a day (if you're a part-time writer), you're not writing enough. Your two hours consist of writing -- research, browsing the web, chatting on social media sites... none of these things is writing.

If you're a full-time writer, you need to schedule your writing time: three to four hours to work on writing projects, another two hours for marketing, and another hour or two for housekeeping chores (backing up your computer, creating invoices, following up with clients, and so on.)

I've covered the "write more" topic extensively on my blogs, simply because it's so important. I know how important writing more is from my own experience. Every time I thought someone else or something else was to blame for hiccups in my career ("I've got a lousy agent"; "I need to change_____ to ________"; "If only I had time to write _____ I'd be doing better..." etc)

I also know how important it is from the experience of my writing students. As my Sell Your Writing Online NOW (SYWON) and Write More class students know, whenever they complain that something isn't working, I ask them to outline their writing process, and my response is always something along the lines of "You're not writing enough. Here's what I want you to do..." And it works for them; they vault out of their slump.

So if something in your writing isn't working; write MORE.

These articles may help:

1. Freelance Writing: Top Ten Ways to Make More Money

Make more money by increasing your rates and writing more.

2. Eliminate perfectionism

Perfectionism is a curse, simply because you're no judge of the quality of your own writing. You'll discover that the way you write is the way you write. You will only improve your writing when you write MORE. From quantity, comes quality: eventually. :-)

3. Book Writing: Write Your Book the Easy Way

This article will help if you're writing a book -- writing a book is simply a matter of process. If you've tried to write a book and never managed to get past chapter three, this article will help. Just write...

4. Write More: Get over Writer's Block

Does writer's block exist? Yes and no. If you're resisting writing, there's always a reason for the resistance. Sometimes it's overwhelming stress. If this is the case, give yourself a break until you're over it.

Want to make great money writing? Discover the secrets of high-selling, highly paid writers, for free. Each week, Angela Booth's Fab Freelance Writing Ezine is delivered in easy-to-print PDF format. Join the thousands of other writers who are using the information to change their lives. You'll learn how to write, and how to sell. Angela's been writing for 30 years, and shares her knowledge with you.

Writing: Turn Your Hobby Into a Money-Maker

Want to make money from your writing? It's surprisingly simple, once you make a decision. You're changing your status from an amateur to a pro, so let's see how you can do that.

Tip: I said that you need to make a decision, and that explicitly means a commitment. Can you commit? Great! That's all it takes.

1. Discover Who Makes Money Writing

There are many different kinds of writers. Novelists, screenwriters, commercial writers, online writers, copywriters...

For the next week or two, carry a small notebook with you, and find out who makes money from their writing, and how they do it. Talk to people. In the online world, many writers are surprisingly accessible via their blogs, and via social networking sites like Twitter and Facebook.

Visit bookstores, online forums, and read blogs. Sooner or later something will resonate with you, and you'll think: "I could do that!"

Many professional writers turned professional when they had this epiphany. They read something and realized that they could write that kind of material, with just a little training and determination.

2. Research Markets and Pay

Once you've found something you feel you could write, it's time to research who buys that kind of material, and how much they pay.

Again, ask professionals via blogs, and networking sites. It's unlikely that someone will tell you exactly how much he makes each year, but most professionals will tell you how much an average writer of ________ (whatever) makes a year, and how much income you should be making in your first year.

Now you know what you're writing, and roughly how much to expect in terms of payment. From now on, it's up to you.

3. Set Goals and Schedule Your Time

Everything takes longer while you're learning. Once you know how something works, it's a matter of practice.

Get into the habit now of setting goals. A goal is simply a destination. Goals can and should be reviewed, updated, and changed if necessary. Review your goals at least once a week.

In addition to yearly, monthly and weekly goals, you need daily goals. When you're writing part-time, schedule a block of time for writing, even if it's only half an hour. You don't need a lot of time. You'll be amazed that once you're writing, your time expands -- and you have more time to write than you thought.

Recession-proof your freelance writing career

"Write More And Make More Money From Your Writing: Develop A Fast, Fun Productive Writing Process" gives you all the tools you need for a thriving writing career, no matter what the economic climate.

Three weeks after completing the class one student wrote:

"Thanks Angela, for all your help and advice in class. I'm quitting my job next week. I printed out my letter of resignation tonight after landing a contract writing job that will pay me more for three months part-time work than I earned in from my day job in the whole of 2008! You were right – the great gigs are out there, and now I've got the skills to land them. Your class opened my eyes. Bless you…"

"Write More And Make More Money From Your Writing: Develop A Fast, Fun Productive Writing Process" shows you how to thrive as a freelance writer. Would you like to write five times more than you're writing now, and sell to higher-paying markets? Take the class.

New poll: your biggest writing challenge

Please share your challenges. Once I have the results, you'll find solutions to your challenges on the blog, and in the ezine.

Sell your writing services: it's easy

Selling your writing services couldn't be easier, IF you know how it's done.

Lucky Fab Freelance Writing Ezine subscribers know that already, because they've taken advantage of the subscribers-only offer for my new "sell your writing services" product (being a member has its advantages. :-))

I'll be expanding on the topic with next week's issue of the ezine, in which our theme is: "Instant Money: Sell Your Writing Services".

Here's the thing to be aware of: most writing jobs are never advertised, for any number of reasons, the chief one being that businesses and publications are just TOO BUSY.

If you're a successful freelancer, you already know this. When a series of articles, an advertorial, a brochure, or a booklet is needed, it's needed NOW.

Advertising for writers, and then reading through tons of (generally hopeless) applications is time-intensive. In today's economic climate, no one has the time to go through the rigmarole.

So what do these time-pressed buyers of writing services do?

They:

* Use the outsourcing sites. At least they get bids, and some of those bids are highly professional;

* They contact their network and plead to be given the contact details of good writers;

* They repurpose material they already have;

* They forget about the project.

Can you see that if these busy buyers had the name of just ONE writer in their contacts database, that writer would get several writing gigs over the course of a year?

Therefore, getting your name out to potential buyers, and getting onto their databases, is essential.

So how do you do this?

Here's the easiest way: introduce yourself.

Yes, it's as easy as that.

You can send introductory letters and email messages to:

* Magazines and online publications (include your clips, if you have them)

* Businesses (locally and around the globe)

* Clubs, organizations and associations

* Advertising and editorial agencies

Please don't over-think this. It's both SIMPLE and EASY. Get your name and contact details onto databases.

You've still got time to make 2009 your best writing year ever -- hop to it. :-)
Want to make great money writing? Discover the secrets of high-selling, highly paid writers, for free. Each week, Angela Booth's Fab Freelance Writing Ezine is delivered in easy-to-print PDF format. Join the thousands of other writers who are using the information to change their lives. You'll learn how to write, and how to sell. Angela's been writing for 30 years, and shares her knowledge with you.

Your writer's website: treat it like the goldmine it can be

Do you have all the writing clients you can handle?

Successful writers with great websites turn clients away; they cherry-pick with whom they want to work.

Therefore, if you want to sell your writing, your website can be a literal goldmine for you: it's potential clients' introduction to your and your services.

Unfortunately, few writers know how to create a site which works.

I wrote the article: Freelance Writing: 3 Reasons Your Site’s Not Getting Clients for You | Writing Hacker by Angela Booth to help:

"Look at the home page of your website. Do you focus on yourself and on what you do?

This is a mistake. Your prospects are concerned about their own problems and challenges. Harsh as it may sound, they have zero interest in you."

If you want to get clients, and make the income you deserve, it all starts and ends with your website.

Read the article, and revise your website, so that it works for you; the article's tips will help.

Writer's block? Get motivated again

I've had several questions about writer's block this week.

If you're blocked, I gave you some strategies which will get you unblocked and motivated in this article Writing: Get Motivated to Write | Writing Hacker by Angela Booth:

"Often the reason you’ve lost your motivation is that your writing has ceased to be fun for you. It’s amazing that when you send an article query, you’re very eager to write the article, but a week later, when the editor calls you and gives you the go-ahead, you suddenly become completely unmotivated. You’re blocked.

This happens when you develop resistance. (We’ll discuss resistance in a moment.)"

Read that article if your block is longstanding, and you're just not motivated; the tactics work.

That said, here's a caution if you've been working hard: give yourself a break.

If you've been working hard on a project, slow down and relax. I've always found that if I've just completed a long project: a 6000-word sales page for one of my copywriting clients, an ebook, or a book proposal for a client, I'm done for at least a week. I need that time to rest, recuperate and recharge.

In that week, I don't work on anything exhausting. I work on small projects, and write blog posts. :-) Remember that when you're writing a long project, you've been laser-focused for a while.

It's impossible to keep working at that level, without creating a lot of stress. If you push yourself beyond common sense, you're storing up trouble. Sooner or later, you'll burn out and you'll be useless for months.

Therefore, before you get too down on yourself about a "block", think about what you've been writing. Perhaps you're just tired.

Want to make great money writing? Discover the secrets of high-selling, highly paid writers, for free. Each week, Angela Booth's Fab Freelance Writing Ezine is delivered in easy-to-print PDF format. Join the thousands of other writers who are using the information to change their lives. You'll learn how to write, and how to sell. Angela's been writing for 30 years, and shares her knowledge with you.

Freelance writing markets: go beyond web articles

Are you making money writing articles? If you are, chances are you're not making enough money at it.

There's a reason for this... writing web articles is much too easy. Once you learn the format, you can turn them out in your sleep, but unfortunately you're not learning a thing to help you to improve your writing skills.

For decades, freelance writers started their careers by writing magazine articles. I got my own start writing romance novels (those were the days :-)), then segued seamlessly into writing for magazines.

These days, web articles are HOT, but unfortunately many/ most writers just don't make the most of their article writing skills. They're disgusted with peon wages, but because they have no frame of reference, since all they've ever written is articles, they can't get beyond that.

They have no motivation to improve, and even worse, they have no idea how to improve their skills, because there's no competent editor guiding their writing.

This can lead to rapid career decline and failure, as writers burn out.

My own opinion, FWIW, is that writing web articles is just TOO EASY... you write, you sell. However, since there's no editorial control (no one says to you "This is cr*p, fix it, here's what I want you to do...") web writers struggle to improve their writing.

Rejection is a GOOD thing

If you're stuck in a web article writing swamp -- you're writing 50 articles for $500 or less -- spread your wings.

Try:

* Writing for magazines

* Writing video scripts

* Writing presentations

Yes, you'll get rejected. Many times.

Viewed the right way however, rejections help you to measure your skills, so rejections are good for you.

Once you start selling to a market with proper editorial control, like magazines, major websites, and corporate marketing departments, you'll come under the guiding hands of editors who will help you to improve your writing.

Please don't fight this. Having someone tell you to rewrite is a benefit. There's no real way you can edit your own writing effectively; you're too close to it. You'll LEARN with every rewrite you do, so be grateful.

I know rejection sucks. However, hard as it may be to believe, it's good for you. :-)

I encourage you to go beyond web articles, and expect rejection when you do. You WILL eventually sell to major markets if you persist, and once you do, you'll work with editors who'll guide you to improve your skills.

Behind every great writer is a brilliant editor: believe it. :-) Want to make great money writing? Discover the secrets of high-selling, highly paid writers, for free. Each week, Angela Booth's Fab Freelance Writing Ezine is delivered in easy-to-print PDF format. Join the thousands of other writers who are using the information to change their lives. You'll learn how to write, and how to sell. Angela's been writing for 30 years, and shares her knowledge with you.