Angela Booth's Writing Blog

Writing for pennies: please don't

Please take yourself in hand, and realize that there’s much more to a writing career than writing for content waste dumps.

This kind of writing-by-the-numbers is bad for you, because it teaches you bad habits.

via www.fabfreelancewriting.com

I just wrote the above post on my freelance writing blog. If you're writing for pennies, read the post, and stop it. There's no need for it.

Freelance writing: search, and find

Search for freelance writing information

I've just added a Search page to Fab Freelance Writing -- just enter your search term, and find the information you want fast. :-)

The page searches the Fab Freelance Writing site, and a couple of my writing blogs.

Enjoy. :-)

Therapeutic writing: writing to fix problems

Writing heals writing. If you have a challenge, whether it's writing-related or not, writing ABOUT the challenge helps you to fix it, over time.

Here's how I use therapeutic writing:

* To clear my mind

* To help me to strategize

* As a pre-writing tool on projcts

* To help me to find ideas

* For fun and creativity

Try therapeutic writing yourself.

Start a sentence with: The three things I don't realize about (insert whatever you like here --myself/ a person/ a situation/ a project) are_________"

You'll be shocked at what you know, but don't realize that you know. You're much smarter than you think you are. :-)

A tip: much of the work on the subject of writing as therapy focuses on writing about feelings. While this may be useful in a clinical situation, it's useless outside of it.

When you're using therapeutic writing, focus on describing situations... write about what's happening. Never try to solve a challenge, that will happen automatically.

Just describe, without focusing on emotional reactions. Your emotions are just energy, they come and go, and only have the meanings you ascribe to them. If you focus on your emotions, rather than description, it's useless self-indulgence, and won't help you to change anything.

Weekly reviews: have you set goals for next week?

Currently I'm doing my weekly #writing review; did I achieve my goals? I'm also deciding what's most important for this coming week.

I keep my daily word counts in a spreadsheets, so I know exactly how productive I've been. I commend the process to you, it's fun and also important, because your success depends on your productivity.

And speaking of productivity, this week's theme in the writing tips ezine is: "Article Cash".

Here's an excerpt from the Editorial:

Whether you're a new writer, or are a web professional, you can make great money with articles.

As a new writer, the articles you write will give you confidence in your writing skills (and a small amount of cash).

As a web pro, you'll write articles primarily for your own sites and blogs, as well as for others – if they're willing to pay you well for your time. You'll quickly build an excellent income, as residual cash streams into your PayPal account from your online properties, and from your steady clients who hire you to write.

But why articles?

Read the rest on Tuesday -- it will increase your income, and will make you more productive.

Writing prompts and writing tips: daily

The major secret to a successful writing career's laughably simple: write every day.

Before too long, writing will become a habit, and once it's a habit, nothing can stand in the way of your success -- success (however you define it) becomes inevitable.

Unfortunately many writers hobble themselves. They find it a real challenge to write every day. If this sounds like you, follow me on Twitter. You receive daily writing prompts and writing tips.

Enjoy. :-)

Follow Angela Booth on Twitter

Writing career: what should you give away for "free"?

"Free" is a great marketing tactic for writers, but there are dangers.

Here's the biggest danger: no one values what they get for free.

As How To Say No To People who Want information for free says:

"Many service-related business owners these days are 'giving away' their business services - and then wonder why people aren't hiring them in droves. In the name of 'marketing,' business owners are providing way too much information for free. Some shifts in thinking are necessary if these business owners expect to be in business years from now."

(Read the entire article, it gives excellent advice, especially if you're in the habit of giving free consultations.)

Marketing your writing on the basis of "free" can be extremely seductive. It releases you from having the ask for money... you just wait, hoping that people will give you money. (Um... that's called begging...)

Listen up, now. If you're a freelance writer, too much "free" will kill your business.

Remember, no one values what they get for free.

If you want to get paid for your writing, you need to charge real money for it, and your clients have to value what you do enough for them to pay you.

What should you provide for free?

My basic tactic is to give away, quite freely, basic education for writers, as well as basic education for business. I've got many free blogs for writers, and the ezine will continue to be free.

However, when it comes to specifics, to get a particular writer to where he wants to go for example, I charge for coaching. Remember, no one values what they get for free.

If you're using "free" as a marketing tactic, keep an eye on your time. You need to spend most of your time writing for money, not for free.

"Go From Zero To Making $250 Per Hour For Web Writing - Kick Off Your Web Writing Career In 24 Hours!"

There's great money in Web writing. Some Web writers are making $20,000 a month by blogging for a stable of sites. Others are writing articles or ebooks.

Want to jump on this opportunity? No matter what your level of writing skill, you can make great money writing for the Web too.

Get a full year of weekly assignments; become a Web writing pro with Sell Your Writing Online NOW.

Want to write a book?

I've received several questions this week about freelancing fiction.

These kinds of writing jobs are available on the outsourcing sites, but if you want to write a novel, just write it, and sell it. You just may get lucky. Writers hit the bestseller list every year.

Start by writing a genre novel. Readers of these novels have certain expectations, and if you can meet those expectations, there's a real market for your writing.

In First Steps To Write A Novel: Pick A Genre | Write a novel | Write A Nonfiction Book or Novel and Get It Published I wrote:

"These expectations that readers (and of course publishers) have for a genre give you a handle on how to write that particular genre of novel. You start by deciphering what those expectations are, and how the elements of the book meet those expectations. Tip: many publishers offer ‘writer’s guidelines’ for their books. While these are useful, your own thoughts about WHY readers like a genre are much more valuable to you, because everything you write is filtered through your own experience."

Happy writing. :-)

If you're interested in kicking off your freelance writing career quickly, check out next week's ezine, in which our theme is Mastering Freelancing FAST.

Writing: manage your time with ticklers

The more effective you are at managing your time, the more time you have for writing.

It's easy to fritter time away, obsessing, or wondering what you should be doing -- how do you choose the ONE item that you should be doing from the 1001 items on your To Do lists?

Try a tickler file.

As Quick Tip: The Stress Reducing Power of Ticklers | D*I*Y Planner says:

"Never underestimate the stress-reducing power of a tickler. If you don't need to think about doing a particular task now, you don't need to see it now. You also don't need to worry about remembering to do it in a few weeks time."

I use Things (Mac and iPhone) as my tickler file.

Each day, the Today screen just shows me what I need to do today. I just tick tasks off as I do them, and if I manage to zoom through everything quickly, I can move items from the Next screen to Today.

Get a tickler file; the better you are at managing your time, the more you'll write.

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.

Twitter for writers: make connections, get hired

Have you discovered the power of Twitter?

This week I've received a couple of messages from writers who are excited about using Twitter to make connections.

One writer tweeted his annoyance about a magazine editor who seemed to be ignoring him; the editor got in touch right away.

A new writer asked whether a company was a legitimate buyer of writing services -- and yes, the marketing manager got in touch.

People might not respond to email (often your messages end up in a Junk folder), or they just never find the time to respond, but they usually respond to tweets which mention their company name.

In this article, Angela Booth's Writing Blog: Freelance Writing: 5 Reasons You Should Be Tweeting I wrote about the power of your tweets:

"Twitter Helps You to Make Connections and Contact People Fast Once people know you exist, and what you write, they need a way to get in touch with you -- fast. Like most freelance writers who are visible online, I get many offers of writing gigs which I don't have the time to accept. (Note: lots of job offers are a benefit of online reach.) So if I'm aware of you, and that you might be a good fit with someone who needs a writer, I'll let you know, often via Twitter."

If you're new to Twitter, yes, it can be frustrating, but you'll pick up the rudiments quickly, and you may be amazed at the results you get from your simple tweets. Follow me on Twitter.

Befuddled by Twitter? You'll be amazed at how many writers, editors, agents and buyers of your writing use it

Be where the action is with "Twitter for Writers: Achieve Writing Success 25 Words at a Time", your guide to micro blogging for writers.

Make money writing: keep the cash flowing in

How's your writing career? If you've been writing for money for a year or more, you should be booked solid, into January and beyond.

If you're not, chances are you're not paying enough attention to customer service. Anyone who's hired you to write once, will hire you again, and once you have a client list of a hundred clients, you'll be fully booked.

In this article Make Money Online Everyday Just by Writing - 5 Tips — Angela Booth's Fab Freelance Writing Blog I suggested:

"Keep Your Clients Forever - Use Permission Marketing When you get a client, ask their permission to stay in touch with them. Once you have 50 to 100 past clients, you’ll never need to hunt for writing jobs again - they will keep you very busy."

If you haven't been staying in touch, remedy that today.

Check the writing projects you've completed over the past year, and contact the clients. You can keep the contact simple -- just pick up the phone.

I guarantee you that if you do this, new projects will flow in.

Here's what you need to understand about your writing clients:

* They're busy -- they put things off;

* They're making do with less staff, so they use freelancers much more extensively;

* They'll love you and will recommend you to others if you help them out.

So, as I suggested in this week's writing tips ezine -- help them, and you'll be amply rewarded.

Create the perfect writing business: become an ebook entrepreneur

Stop trading hours for money. You can remove the blocks on your income with my ebook-creators package. You discover my secrets, developing over years of writing and selling information products.

Ebooks and other information products are HOT. If you can write, you're golden. Get started creating your ebook empire today.

SEO articles? How do you write them?

I've had several questions this week about writing "SEO articles". You'll often find these gigs on the outsourcing sites SEO means "search engine optimization".

In this article, Writing SEO Articles That Get Results in 15 Minutes » Fab Web Writer: Join The Instant Publishing Revolution I gave you a process for writing them:

"Firstly, what are ‘SEO articles’? Basically SEO articles are articles which you hope will be found via the search engines. The articles use a primary keyword, and a secondary one. People to search for the keyword, and find your articles on the search engine query results pages. You’re writing these articles for a reason: you may have been commissioned by someone to write them, or you write them because you’re promoting affiliate products, or your own products."

Read that article; it gets you started with SEO articles. Once you increase your SEO skills, you'll be able to ask for more money for your articles, so SEO is worth learning. We cover SEO articles and much more in the Web writing training. 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 editing: finding editing jobs

Do you have editing skills? Editors are in high demand. They're hired by publishers, websites, businesses and agencies. Of course, they're also hired by writers, who want to ensure that their book manuscript is presented in a professional manner. I've had several questions about where to find editing jobs this week.

Check out my article Angela Booth's Writing Blog: Freelance Editing: Find Unadvertised Jobs, in which I gave you a process to follow:

"1. What Specialties Do You Have? Firstly consider your specialties. Publishing houses need specialists when they hire editors. If you've been writing articles for parenting magazines for example, you can consider yourself a specialist in parenting topics. Therefore, approach publishing houses which publish parenting books. Parenting  is an extremely wide field, with many opportunities."

I've recommended Twitter to several editors, who've managed to get jobs very quickly.

Befuddled by Twitter? You'll be amazed at how many writers, editors, agents and buyers of your writing use it

Be where the action is with "Twitter for Writers: Achieve Writing Success 25 Words at a Time", your guide to micro blogging for writers.

Writing: can you make money writing about your passions?

"Do what you love, and the money will follow" is promoted by self-help gurus, but does the strategy work when it comes to writing?

Yes and no.

If you love writing, of course you can make money from your passions. However, you need to keep  readers in mind -- if you write what people want to read, or need, you will make money. If you write on totally quirky topics no one has commissioned you to write on, you won't make money.

I'd love to give you some examples of quirky topics my writing students were trying to make money writing about, but it would identify them too easily, and that would be cruel, so I won't do it.

But here's short rule of thumb: if there are no advertisers for your topic, it's unlikely you'll make money from it.

Turn your passion into profit

If you want to be sure your passion is profitable, check to see whether there are magazines on the topic. If there are magazines, there are advertisers, and you're golden. You can write about kids, pets, gardening, health... you've thousands of topics from which to choose.

And of course, if there are magazines on a topic, they'll be websites on the topic too -- even more chances to sell your writing on a particular topic.

Testing a passion for profitability: try a blog

I've been recommending blogging to writers for at least seven years. Blogging is instant publishing, and it's a wonderful way to gauge the profitability of a topic.

Just create a blog on the topic, and start posting. Getting a reaction from readers? Bingo, you've latched onto a topic you're passionate about, and for which there's a market for your writing.

The big benefit of a blog is that it can act as a writing sample, AND it will promote you as an expert in the topic. (Buyers of writing love experts, and once you've been blogging on a topic for a little time, hey presto, you're an expert. :-))

Kick off Your Web Writing Career FAST

Here's what a subscriber, who's a new writer, said about Sell Your Writing Online NOW (SYWON): "I'm loving it! I just made my first-ever sale of my writing – ten articles a week, for three months. I'm so excited..."

52 weeks of Angela Booth's amazing SYWON training gives you a COMPLETE training in Web writing. It's the key to a successful writing career, with unlimited opportunities, and a great write-from-home income.

Moms' Work from Home Opportunities: Article Writing

Article writing is a great work from home opportunity for moms. You can write in your own time, at your own pace, and once you're experienced, you can make a great income.

Got questions? Here are some answers.

1. What Are Web Articles?

Web articles are a form of advertising -- they're short articles which are written directly for the web. They're meant to be published online, nowhere else.

Businesses with websites buy these articles to increase their website's chances of being found via the search engines.

Unlike print articles, which are meant to be read with full attention, web articles are meant to be skimmed. Online, people want information quickly. If your article doesn't get to the point immediately, it's easy to hit the Back button.

Web articles are different from those written for print in many other ways -- they often include hyperlinks for example.

Primarily it's important to realize that although your articles are not written for the search engines  (they're written for site visitors), they are however written with the search engines in mind, so you'll be asked to include keywords in your articles.

2. Who Buys the Articles You Write?

Your articles are purchased by businesses, large and small. Generally speaking, large companies require your articles to be of a higher quality than small businesses with smaller budgets. (They pay more for that quality.)

That said; there's no writing down involved when you write for smaller companies. Your aim is to write to the best standard you can. In general, the standard of web article online is low; this is good news for new writers. It means that you don't need extensive experience to write articles for the web.

3. How Do You Get Started?

Familiarize yourself with the articles you see online. Choose a couple of websites you enjoy reading, and check out their articles. Can you pick the keywords? Can you see other ways in which their articles are different from the articles you might find in a magazine?

It's easy to get started writing articles. Check the About page on your favorite sites. You'll find requests for articles on many sites, and this is your chance to build a whole new work from home career.

Subscribe to Sell Your Writing Online NOW (SYWON) - it's a complete training in making money online

Want to make money online? You can, with Sell Your Writing Online NOW (SYWON) training. Join me, and develop your own home-based business, writing and making money on the Web.

Looking for writing prompts? Check Twitter

If you're not writing as much as you want to, I've started a series of writing prompts on Twitter to help you to write more.

Many (if not most) of your writing challenges can be solved, if you write consistently. Unfortunately, developing a writing habit isn't easy. You need to write daily for at least 21 days to develop this habit.

I hope that the writing prompts series on Twitter will help you to do that. Look for writing tips too, all in 140 characters or less. :-)

Follow me on Twitter, and look for: #writing #prompts #tips

Enjoy. :-)

Befuddled by Twitter? You'll be amazed at how many writers, editors, agents and buyers of your writing use it

Be where the action is with "Twitter for Writers: Achieve Writing Success 25 Words at a Time", your guide to micro blogging for writers.

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.