Category Archives: Writing

Weekend Reading: Make Money Blogging

By on June 14th, 2013

I recently shared a collection of posts and resources on freelance blogging. This week I’d like to look at the other way you can make money blogging — through blogs of your own. This is a big part of my own business models, owning nearly 100 blogs over the course of the years (pared down to just fewer than two dozen active ones now and several more blog setups waiting for me to take them to launch). Below you can find a variety of articles and downloadable resources that can help you monetize your blog or explore new blog income …

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Posted in Blogging |

The Rules of the Sneaky Serial Comma

By on May 23rd, 2013

If there was ever a piece of punctuation to give us all fits, it’s the comma. When do you use it? When are you using it too much? Do I need a comma there? Correct comma usage causes endless questions simply because there are so many rules. Let’s worry about one comma in particular – the serial, or Oxford, comma. It’s the most controversial of the lot. So what’s a serial comma? A serial comma is the last comma that typically appears in a list. For example: If I had my way, I’d eat cake, pie, and cookies every day. …

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Posted in Grammar & ESL |

Where to Find Freelance Blogging Clients

By on May 22nd, 2013

Have you thought about getting into freelance blogging? Are you already a freelance blogger, but you’re struggling to find new clients? Blogging is one of my favorite projects to take on as a freelance writer. Finding clients was easy for me early on because the client base I was working with on PR writing projects also happened to have a strong need for blogging services. But these days things are a bit different. There are more blogs out there. But there are also more bloggers competing for gigs. So if you’re just starting out, where should you look for freelance blogging clients …

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Posted in Blogging, Freelance Writing Jobs |

3 Online Writing Jobs for Local Businesses

By on May 21st, 2013

One of the biggest benefits of writing for the Web is that it gives freelance writers the ability to work with clients all over the world. These days everything can be done online from invoicing to delivery. But that doesn’t mean you have to work with clients outside of your area. Some writers are more comfortable working with local clients, and that’s perfectly fine as long as there is enough local business to keep you busy. If you’d prefer to pitch more projects to local business owners and your passion is writing for the Web, what exactly might local businesses need? Let’s …

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Posted in Blogging, Freelance Writing Jobs, Web Writing |

From Struggling Writer to Solid Writer and Beyond

By on May 9th, 2013

As an English teacher, I have a strategy that usually works for struggling and reluctant writers. If they claim to not be able to write something, I ask them to tell me the story or response to address the prompt. Then, after they tell me a sentence or two, I repeat it back to a student and tell him to write it down. Kid says, “So, when my parents got divorced I was really upset for a long time.” I say, “Okay. Write down ‘when…my…parents…got…divorced…’” It gives them enough of a boost to put something on the paper, and as …

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Posted in Grammar & ESL |

Print Writing: Improving Your Voice

By on May 7th, 2013

Writing for print is tricky in a number of ways, but one of the most important–and the most difficult–is having a strong voice and being able to adapt it to the style of the publication you are querying. Some writers may already have a voice that they use and are comfortable with. That’s a great thing, but there is typically one problem that goes along with that…they stop improving it. If you have a “voice” that you have cultivated, don’t assume that it will grow and develop on its own. You have to nurture it, and you have to allow …

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Posted in Magazine Writing |

Weekend Reading: Query Letters

By on April 26th, 2013

At the end of each week, I like to share a link roundup based on one of our editorial themes for the month. This week we’re going to take a look at writing query letters for freelance magazine writing. If you’re looking to perfect your magazine query letter techniques or get started in magazine writing with your first pitch, spend some of your downtime this weekend checking out these great articles. And if you’re looking for more information about writing for magazines, don’t miss Catherine L. Tully’s posts here. She covers query letter writing and other aspects of magazine writing …

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Posted in Magazine Writing |

Scheduling Your Magazine Writing

By on April 9th, 2013

I thought doing a post on scheduling might be good for all the magazine writers out there… Basically what I mean by scheduling is deciding how much to take on at first–in other words, how to manage the process of trying to land articles in print. It can be really easy to take on too much in the beginning, and that can really cause problems. You see…things don’t happen very fast in the print industry. Because of that, having a good, solid plan is more likely to get you published. You really can’t do things last-minute when it comes to …

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Posted in Magazine Writing |

Weekend Reading: Writing for Trade Magazines

By on April 5th, 2013

One of my favorite types of freelance writing that I’ve covered here on the blog is writing for trade magazines. In my case, more specifically, I ghostwrite feature articles for trade publications on behalf of businesses. In that situation, the business pays me, I write the article (which they’ve often gotten approval for from the publication previously), and it’s published under my client’s byline. It can be lucrative work as these businesses often pay more than the trade magazines pay freelancers. Whether that sounds like something you’d like to do, or you’d prefer to query and write for the trade …

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Posted in Magazine Writing |

Copywriting for Other Countries and Cultures

By on March 28th, 2013

I received an interesting message the other day about some ideas on writing in other countries. Normally you think of “Western” copywriting – predominately American, Canadian and UK copywriting. English speaking readers are the typical target or niche, but what about readers in other nations in the world? China is poised to become the largest commercial market in the world if it’s not there already (I haven’t read the news yet this morning.) Isn’t it time we consider writing for those and other audiences? But, I Only Write in English! I’ll be honest with you. My ability with second languages is nonexistent. …

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Posted in Business Writing, Freelance Writing Business |