latenightwriter

It is so frigid here in Ontario, that I have opted to stay indoors for the night. Yes..quite boring I would say but it is giving me a chance to get caught up on some writing work that I do. In addition to my freelance writing, I also create and edit my own writing website and newsletter, The Obsessed Writers Group Newsletter. Unfortunately I probably don’t update the website as much as I should but I do write and distribute the accompanying bi-monthly newsletter regularly. I really enjoy writing the newsletter because it keeps me connected with other writers and in tune with what is happening in the freelance writing world. I stay abreast of new markets, contests and freebies. Many times, I will be researching new markets and find one that I have something to submit to.

My subscriber base is small but loyal. I don’t know much about promoting my newsletter but I am learning and hope one day to join the ranks of www.fundsforwriters.com or www.writersweekly.com.  I like to research free writing courses and interactive lessons and try them out first. I have often thought about taking some university writing courses but so far haven’t put that thought into action yet. Maybe this will be my year…

Right now I am subscribing to Beth Ann Erickson’s 15 day ecourse, 15 Techniques to Turbo Charge Your Writing Income. I am well versed on some of the information because I have been freelancewriting for many years, but I have picked up a tip or two. If you are interested in reading more  information about the ecourse, visit Filbert Publishing Ecourses at:

http://www.filbertpublishing.com/Courses.html

Until next time….write it right!

I have been fairly busy these last few days. I answered a writing request and the poster has shown some interest and hopefully I will get some work out of it. The job is writing targeted blog entries and summaries from news articles. I did some samples for them and they seem interested and didn’t post them online for free which is good. I hate when a company posts a writing request online and wants you to send them original unpublished samples, isn’t a published clip good enough? Doesn’t it prove that yes, someone else has actually paid to use my work? I think when a writer is asked to send unpublished samples, there is a good chance they are going to end up being published somewhere without credit or compensation given to the author.

I always make it a point to google my own name every so often to see if someone is using my work without my consent. I did catch one individual posting one of my articles on her site and when I confronted her and asvised her that she was using my work illegally, she retorted that I should be honored that she thought my work was worthy enough to include it on her website. Needless to say, I wasn’t buying that excuse, besides someone else owned the partial rights to it and they paid for it.

I have been trying to be somewhat regular with this blog but it is a bit depressing when I am not sure if anyone is reading it. Makes me wonder if my time could be better spent writing something else. I have researched how to draw readers to your blog and it advises to keep writing and the readers will come. Well considering I don’t have a better plan at the moment, I will keep writing and see if my stats go up. If you have any blogging promotional tips, please send them my way. Help!

Hi there,

I have been busy finishing up some writing work and have two more articles on the burner for submission at the end of the month. I received these two assignments from good ole querying. I used to dread querying and preferred to submit to markets that accepted the completed submission but with experience, I realized it is better to query first than spend a whole day writing an article that has no intended market.

I hated querying because I wasn’t confident in my ability to write a good query. One day I received a copy of Jenna Glatzer freelance writing workbook for payment for a short humourous piece I wrote for her site. After working through her workbook, I finally hit upon a template for my queries and have been using it ever since. A querying template is the most effective way  to write your queries and get them out there. I am not saying that all queries should say the same thing, nothing can be further from the truth but if you follow a certain format, you can master the dreaded query.

Here is my format for a good query, remember to keep it one page:

1st paragraph - your opening statement introducing your topic.

2nd paragraph - more information on your topic.

3rd paragraph - information on your article and how it pertains to the topic and why it is suitable for the publication’s audience. Also include word count and a list of the articles subheadings if applicable.

4th paragraph - Your offer to send the completed the article for review for publication.

5th - closing statement thanking the editor for their time etc.

That’s it - that is my formula for a good query.
Give it a try and good luck!

Until next time - write it right!

When I first embarked on my freelance writing journey, I subscribed to every single newsletter and ezine I came across. Before I knew it, I was spending most of my available writing time just reading writing newsletters. Granted, I had a lot to learn, there comes a time in every freelance writer’s life when they have to prioritize and figure out what’s important. I knew I had to ‘unsubscribe’ to a few newsletters but it was so hard because I loved to read them all! Realistically it was impossible to stay up to date with a dozen newsletters arriving in my inbox every week.

So there came a day when I had to decide which newsletters I would keep and which ones I would have to say farewell to. Firstly, I had to decide which newsletter delivered the most pertinent information for my writing needs. I had decided earlier on that non-fiction would be my genre of choice so I could do without any newsletters that were strictly geared toward the fiction writer. If I decided to venture into fiction writing, I could always subscribe again.

Next, I analyzed each newsletter for the content contained within the newsletter and determined which ones offered me the most value for my precious time. I like the newsletters that offered plenty of resources, freebies, and markets. I leaned towards newsletters’ editors who were successful and had solid advice to offer including Hope Clark of www.fundsforwriters.com, and Angela Hoy of www.writersweekly.com. I remained subscribed to two Canadian newsletters (homeward bound!): Krista Barrett, The Writer’s Gazette and Krissy Brady of the now defunct www.bradymagazine.com.

Coincidentally, I went on to write articles for 3 out of 4 newsletters. I have written a couple articles for www.fundsforwriters.com and www.writersweekly.com and wrote a monthly column called Writers On Tap for Brady Magazine. 

My success in contributing articles to these newsletters can be attributed to my thorough knowledge of the newsletter itself. This is good advice for all writers: if you want to write for a specific publication, take time to get acquainted with the publication’s contents. Study the publication for its tone, style and topics already addressed and determine what you cane offer the publication that has not been addressed?

Until next time…write it real!