Angela Booth's Writing Blog

Writing Goals: What Have You Achieved So Far In 2010?

The first quarter of 2010 is almost over. What writing goals have you achieved?

I hope you've achieved, or are well on the way to achieving, several goals.

If you started out in January with great intentions, and haven't worked towards your goals, it's not too late to make 2010 a great year.

Just follow the Lazy writer's guide to goal setting for 2010:

It's the lazy person's way of goal setting; I prefer to let my subconscious mind work out the details. You'll find that using your imagination to set goals is much easier and more effective than using will-power. It's a right-brained process, so it's ideal for creative types. :-)

I set three kinds of goals for each year: creativity goals, productivity goals, and financial goals. You can set goals in any area of your life; these are the writing-related goals I set.

When you're following my lazy writer's process, setting your goals for the year takes around half an hour for the basic process.

It's not too late to make 2010 your best writing year ever. :-)

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Writing Job Opportunities in 2010 (and beyond): get ready!

Next week in Fab Freelance Writing Ezine our theme is Writing Job Opportunities in 2010 (and beyond). Our writing world is changing; the ezine gets you up to speed.

Here's an excerpt from the Editorial:

This year is shaping up to be a watershed in the media world. The move to digital is speeding up – and writing opportunities are changing too. The iPad is a bellwether of these changes.

The iPad is changing publishing
I'm sad, and a little angry, at the current state of publishing. Sad because newspapers and magazines are dying, and I know that few will survive in their current state. Angry because the changes that the Internet would bring to publishing were evident 15 years ago, but publishers thought that the world would stay the same for them.

But will the iPad really change publishing, and with it, the world of writing?

Yes, because although iPads were selling at the rate of 25,000 per hour when Apple opened pre-orders, the iPad isn't alone in the world of e-readers. Many other slates/ e-readers are coming to market this year.

The reason is simple: paper publishing is just too expensive. Books and other publications are going digital because the global financial crisis has hastened the end of paper and ink publications.

What does this mean for writers?

Read the rest next week; the issue is out on Tuesday.

If you want to be in the vanguard of writers who are READY for all the job opportunities digital publishing brings, join Sell Your Writing Online NOW (SYWON) now. Savvy writers are training up: they realize that the iPad portends a digital golden age.

Your writing career: follow your instincts

Where's YOUR writing career going?

If you're a new writer, it's OK if you don't know, because you're in new territory. "Don't know," is fine.

If you're an established writer, and think "Heaven help me, I have no idea", that's fine too. Sometimes you can't know, because you're being nudged into a totally new direction. You intuit that what you're doing is right for you, but you don't know why you just dropped three clients, or stopped working on your novel, or created a website about learning how to cook.

Follow your instincts. It's your career, and your instincts are the best and only guide you need.

"Don't know" is a sign that you're in a transitional phase in your writing career. That's a great place to be, but it can be uncomfortable.

For example, in Gone Blogger Gone, Lynn Viehl writes:

Back in 2000... I guessed that electronic books were going to be a big part of the future of Publishing. That's why I started self-publishing free original e-books online as promo for my print novels, and subsequently founded most of my readership on that free content.

Ten years ago I also suspected online journaling by authors would be big someday, which is why I've been a blogger for so long. The power of free print books has also helped build my readership, and the blog has given me a chance to identify interested readers and put real books in their hands.

In 2000, who knew ebooks and blogging would become sensations?

In 2010, with the launch of the iPad, and many publishers bowing to the digital inevitable, ebooks will finally become mainstream.

Blogging is completely mainstream in 2010, and is now rarely considered "online journaling", which was quite a pejorative term in those early years.

Be happy when you "don't know"

It's easy to panic when your instincts tell you to do something (or stop doing something), especially if few other writers are doing it. As Lynn points out, in 2000 ebooks and blogging were considered at best innovative and at worst bizarre.

If you realize that you're in a transitional "don't know" phase in your writing career, stay with the discomfort, rather than fleeing back to the familiar, or deciding that you have writer's block.

Follow and trust your instincts.

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Got blogging skills? Put them to use

If you're a blogging writer, you have skills you can sell. Tomorrow's issue of Fab freelance Writing Ezine discusses the mysterious and profitable career of the ghostblogger.

Here's an excerpt from the Editorial:

Ghostwriting is essentially writing anonymously. Someone wants you to write a book, or an article, or a blog, and you do it under their name. No byline for you. :-) You're writing for someone else, using their ideas (sometimes), and writing in their voice.

Ghostblogging is becoming hugely popular. Businesses and publications see the worth of blogs, and because they don't have the skills in-house, they hire a ghostblogger.

A word about terminology: "ghostblogging" or "ghost blogging"? I prefer ghostblogging – ghostwriting is usually written as one word, but you'll see references to "ghost blogging" on many sites. Which term you use is up to you. Google searches for either turn up much the same results.
 
Who ghostwrites blogs?
Some writers fall into ghostblogging, others look for ghostblogging jobs.

One point about hunting for these kinds of gigs: if someone's advertising for a ghostblogger, they're generally not willing to pay very much. As with other kinds of freelance writing jobs, the best ones aren't advertised.

Read the rest in the issue, which is out tomorrow.

Enjoy. :-)

Discover the secrets of highly-paid writers: free each week

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.

Write fast, write well, and have fun

In tomorrow's issue of Fab Freelance Writing Ezine we discuss writing quickly and well. If you want to make a great income from your writing, these skills are essential. You need to be confident that you'll meet deadlines, and can fit in "I want it NOW" projects your clients give you.

Here's an excerpt from the Editorial:

If you're completely new writer, please know this: the ability to write fast is simply a matter of practice. The more you write, the better you get at it. This applies to any skill.

Think about learning to drive a car. 

I'm sure that for the first few months you thought about the process. You thought about where your hands were on the wheel, how to parallel park, what speed you were traveling at... Now when you get into the car, you never think about the mechanics. You think about where you're going, and what you'll do when you get there.

Writing is just like that. Initially, everything takes thought. Eventually, when you sit down to write, the words come out, because you're thinking of the message you want to convey.

Enjoy the issue. :-)

Posted via email from Angela Booth's Life Stream

Professional Copywriting for Beginning Writers: Three Tips

New writers tend to make copywriting much too complicated. Here's the essence in a nutshell: make a great offer to the right audience. That's all there is to it. Let's look at three tips which will help you if you're a beginner.

1. Clarity: Keep It Simple -- Aim for Instant Comprehension

If your prospect doesn't understand your copy or offer, if  it confuses him, or if he doubts your credibility, he won't buy.

Therefore your first aim in any piece of copy is to explain your offer so that it can be understood by someone who's distracted -- no one reads advertising with anything more than mild interest.

Use short words. If you have the space, as in a direct mail letter, or an online sales page, tell a story. This will help to draw your prospect in and change his mind state to one of receptivity.

When you've completed your first draft, give your copy to a child of ten to read. If the child can understand it, you're golden.

2. Empathy: Understand Your Target Market

If you don't understand your target market, you can't sell to them.

Find out as much as you can about the audience for your  product, and then put yourself in their shoes -- use your imagination. It helps to read magazines read by your target audience. You need to build empathy in any way you can.

The biggest mistake I see with beginning copywriters is that they don't spend enough time researching the audience, and their product.

A primary reason top copywriters make a great income is that they don't stint on the basics. They make their copy as clear as they can, they know the audience -- and they ensure that their offer is irresistible.

3. Reward: Your Offer Must Be Irresistible

Even if you write the most amazing copy in the world, if the offer isn't irresistible, people won't buy.

How do you create an irresistible offer? You must know the audience, and test.

A tip: discourage your copywriting client from competing on price in the offer -- instead, encourage him to add value.

Live your dream: copywriting is the perfect home business

Way Back When: on This Blog in October 2004

Wow, time passes quickly. I started this blog in October 2004, so let's go back in time to those more innocent days.

A couple of posts you may have missed:

* Write 400 words a day

Words of wisdom for writers from the wonderful Terry Pratchett. Next to P.G. Wodehouse, Terry Pratchett is my favorite author.

Another Pratchett gem from this page:

"Yes, Dave Gemmell and Neil Gaiman were both journalists. So was Bob Shaw. So was I. It's good training because:
1) any tendency to writers' block is burned out of you within a few weeks of starting work by unsympathetic news editors;
2) you very quickly learn the direct link between writing and eating;
3) you pick up a style of sorts;
4) you get to hang around in interesting places;
5) you learn to take editing in your stride, and tend to be reliable about deadlines;
6) you end up with an ability to think at the keyboard and reduce the world to yourself and the work in hand -- you have to do this to survive in a world of ringing telephones and shouting sub-editors.
None of this makes you talented or good, but it does help you make the best of what you've got."
-------Terry Pratchett

* Confusion is good

Really -- please trust me on this one. :-)

If you're not feeling confused as you write, you're not writing, you're typing.

New writers often want to feel sure about something before they start writing. That way lies writer's block, and worse: boredom.

You write to discover what you think and believe, so being confused most of the time is the ideal mind-state for a writer.

Yes Virginia, you can start your own writing services business

Want to start your own writing services business?

If you can string words together, you can. You don't need to have "talent", you just need to have courage. Five out of every 20 email queries I receive from writers are just pleas for reassurance.

Here's an excellent article for you if you're wondering whether you can do what many thousands of others are already doing: "How To Start A Web Business And Survive".

Yes, I know you're nervous about asking complete strangers for money. :-) Just realize that your services are valuable.

The guest blogger, on Aaron Wall's blog, offers this advice on getting credibility when you're brand new:

It is very difficult to market a business without some form of track record. But every business needs to start somewhere, and they don't start with a track record. So, the most important task for someone starting out - in any occupation - is to get one.

One way to get a track record is to treat your first few jobs as a marketing cost. This is the cost of establishing a reputation, and if you make any money at all from these first few jobs, it's a bonus. The aim is to get referrals and a portfolio of work.

You can't expect to charge big bucks without a reputation, but eventually, you'll know how to charge for your services. The first five clients are the hardest, after that, you'll wonder why you bothered to be nervous.

With millions of pages added to the web every day, someone has to write all that content: if you want this life, you can have it. Just get started. :-)

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Back when blogging was new...

This post, "boring” is underrated", made me smile, and remember...

I remember when a guy landing a well-paying job just on the merits of his blog, was considered big news.

I remember when a girl landing a book deal just from her blog, was considered big news.

I remember when Robert Scoble blogging on behalf of Microsoft was considered big news.

I remember when Gawker or Techcrunch making $10K a month on advertising, was considered big news.

Good times. :-)

Enough sentimentality: onward!

If you've just started your blogging journey, congratulations. Prepare for your life to change. And if you've been blogging for years, think about how far you've come.

As a writer, your blog is the center of your writing universe. What plans do you have for your blog? Where will your blog (and you) be in five years?

Share your thoughts in the Comments.

Top Ten Tips to Help You to Write Fast

Do you want to write fast and well? The ability to convey your ideas quickly and easily will help you in everything you want to do, so it's a skill that's well worth developing.

Writing speed develops with practice, however there are tricks which will help you.

Here are ten of my favorite tricks, developed over 30 years of writing.

1. Write First, Research Later

When you're starting a new project, it's tempting to spend time researching. However, you won't know what facts you need, until you're in the middle of writing, and often not until you've completed an initial draft.

Therefore, write your first draft without giving any thought to what you don't know.

I use free writing to get down a first draft as quickly as I can. If I need to research something, I'll put a note right in the draft, in brackets, or I'll type "XXX".

Writing a draft before researching helps to eliminate procrastination.

2. Get a Project, Write What You Know Now (in Five Minutes)

As soon as you get a project, whether it's for work, for a client, or for yourself, write down what you know. Just write down anything which comes to mind: often you'll write a whole series of questions.

Give yourself 5 minutes to do this.

You'll be amazed at the results. Writing about the project breaks your inertia, and you're much less inclined to procrastinate.

3. Always Be Researching

The more you know, the more you have to write about, and the less time you need to spend on specific research. I tend to research continually, and so do all the professional writers I know.

If I'm interested in something, I research it. My obsessions have led to winning publishing contracts with major publishers, and also to writing ebooks and to creating websites and blogs.

4. Plan It, Talk It

If you often suffer from writer's block, consider that If you can talk, you can write.

For many of my projects, rather than writing them, I plan them, and then use voice recognition software to talk the project into existence. These days, voice recognition software works extremely well.

Yes, it takes time to learn how to talk rather than write, but talking helps you to create a first draft quickly, and can be a blessing when you're racing to meet deadlines.

5. Reboot Your Mind in 5 Minutes a Day (Meditate)

I've been meditating for as long as I've been a full-time writer. One of the benefits of meditation is that it allows you to reboot your mind: it eliminates mind chatter, and boosts your creativity.

Try meditation. No time? Five minutes a day can make all the difference.

6. Cancel out of That: Kill Your Inner Dialogue with Koans

Have you heard of Zen koans? They're an excellent way of clearing your inner dialogue.

Two koans I especially like are: "What is this?" and "No".

Try closing your eyes, and saying "What is this?" to yourself when you're stuck in your writing.

Just close your eyes and mentally repeat the question to yourself. It's an excellent way of clearing your mind and killing any negative inner dialogue.

By the way -- there's no answer to "What is this?" Just repeat the question to yourself.

7. Catch Those Ideas: Get More Ideas While You're Writing

Writing inspires ideas. Therefore, always have a notepad open, so that you can  note the ideas quickly and get back to your project.

8. Idea Fishing: Use Your Dictionary

Words spark ideas.

Occasionally you'll feel bored.

Grab your dictionary.

Close your eyes and open it on any page, and place your index finger on the page. Write down the word your finger lands on. Repeat this process five more times.

Now start writing, using the six words you've collected. Write in your current project, or start a new one. The point is to keep writing -- to build flow when you're bored and fed up, rather than giving up.

9. Get Help from Images: Kick Your Subconscious Mind Awake

Becoming a fast writer requires cooperation from your subconscious mind.

Your subconscious thinks in images rather than words; it's not verbal. The best way to jolt it awake is to study images. I like to visit online museums, or page through old magazines.

Avoid reading when you do this; just let your mind drift, and study the images you find.

Five minutes of this will inspire you.

10. Write It Now, Ready or Not

Procrastination wastes time: you can overcome it.

When you accept a project, schedule a specific time to work on it each day.(For example, from 8pm to 8.30pm.)

Whenever I find myself procrastinating on any project, I immediately schedule half an hour a day to work on the project. Even if you've grown to dislike a project intensely, you can stand anything for 30 minutes a day. Before you know it, the project will be done.

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Info Product Maestro: Make $500 a Day with Your Information Products

Are you make as much money as you could be making? Chances are that you're not. There's no shame in this. Writers often struggle to find their own special niche.

If you love to write, then you'll love the information in my new ebook/ coaching package, Info Product Maestro: Make $500 a Day with Your Information Products.

Write what you like, when you like, and make an income you've only dreamed of.

Enjoy. :-)

Ebooks: Interested in writing hot-selling ebooks?

Next week in Fab Freelance Writing Ezine our theme is "How to Write Bestselling Ebooks". I get many questions on this topic each week, and this issue answers them.

You'll discover how to write (and sell) ebooks easily, and successfully. I've been doing it for many years, and love it. If you love to write, you'll love it too.

Here's a short excerpt from the Editorial:

What's a "bestselling" ebook?

Let's start by talking about what a bestselling ebook is, in our terms. I define a bestseller as an ebook which sells consistently, over months and years. Your ebook may not be the market leader: you may or may not have an affiliate program, but your ebook puts cash in your bank account each and every week.

When you're looking for ebook topics, choose an evergreen one: a topic which has longevity. For example, any ebook on weight loss has longevity. People will always want to lose weight. An ebook on how to get a mortgage however, isn't evergreen: economic factors change. 

Read more, next Tuesday...

Enjoy the issue. :-)

Posted via email from Angela Booth's Life Stream

Get the Writing Habit: Daily Writing Prompts and Tips on Twitter

How much did you write today? Yesterday?

Writers write. Every day.

To help you to do that, I publish daily writing prompts and tips to Twitter.

Here's a sample of prompts and tips from this week:

Prompt: You're lost in a strange city. Your wallet's been stolen. Write 300 words

Tip: Set one goal for next week. Plan to how to achieve it.

Prompt: A party invitation. Your worst enemy will be there. Write 300 words.

Tip: Learn to tell stories. Retell your favorite fairy tale in 250 words.

Prompt: You achieve your most important goal. Describe in 250 words.

Tip: Make writing the first thing you do every day. (Get up earlier.)

Get the writing habit. You writing will take you wherever you want to go. When writing's just something you do, every day, you're a writer.

Join me on Twitter: you'll enjoy writing every day... and then? Surprise yourself. :-)

Writing and Selling Ebooks: Sell More Today

Writing and selling ebooks can make a great home business. However, you need effective ways to promote your information products so that you can sell more. Let's look at two easy and fun ways in which you can sell more today, using the social media sites.

These sites include Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and Reddit.

1. Build an Audience on the Social Media Sites While You Write

It's important to start building your audience as soon as you get the idea for your ebook. This jumpstarts your sales: you'll make sales as soon as you launch your ebook.

The more people who know about you, and your new product, and the more visibility you have online, the more sales you will make.

Therefore, ensure that you become familiar with the social media sites while you're writing -- they're a great way to build your name and visibility.

Just five to ten minutes spent on these sites each day, will pay off handsomely once your ebook is written.

Blogging is also a form of social media marketing, and you'll get the best results when you integrate your social media promotions with a blog or a website. A blog is better, simply because it has built-in syndication (RSS) which helps you to spread your message.

Many writers are using the social media sites to understand what their audience wants and needs. Once they know this, they can provide exactly the information the market wants, as they write.

Although social media marketing is most useful while you're writing, if your ebook is already completed, it's not too late.

2. Interact on the Social Media Sites to Sell: Build Relationships and Credibility

You're now selling your ebook. Your launch date has passed. At this stage, you'll find that the sales of your ebook will tend to drop off. Interaction on the social media sites ensures that this doesn't happen.

When you build relationships on these sites, not only does this give you more credibility so that you attract more buyers, you'll also learn more about your customers.

Understanding more about your audience will helps you to write more ebooks on the same topics, and it also ensures that you have a large and constantly growing group of eager buyers for all your information products.

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Have you tried Yahoo's Search Pad? Great for writing notes as you search

Writers spend hours researching, online and offline.

Recently I discovered Yahoo's Search Pad, and I'm finding it increasingly useful.

From Yahoo! and the future of search:

‘Search Pad’ is ... a note-taking application which automatically assists a user in saving the addresses of the websites they are visiting on a virtual pad. It helps users collect, edit, organise, save, print and email their notes for immediate or future use. However, unless a user is logged into a Yahoo! account, it will not save or send a user the URLs after the browser window is shut down.

Try Search Pad yourself.

Got any other research tips? Please share them in the comments.

Posted via email from Angela Booth's Life Stream