From the daily archives: Thursday, January 21, 2010
As an aspiring journalist, the first thing that you need to learn is the how to write effective, explosive newspaper articles. Don’t worry as this is relatively easy. There are only few things that you need to keep in mind and there is only one format that you need to follow.
1. Killer headlines. Using an eye-catching headline is a must when writing news articles as you want your target audience to want to read your content. To save space, ensure that your headlines are concise and relatively short. Your publishers will surely going to love you if you use 10 words or less.
2. Inverted pyramid technique. Always write your articles using this technique. On your first paragraph, give your readers the gist of your content. Tell them what happened, who’s involved, who did what, when it happened, how it happened, and its effects. Your readers must be able to understand the story that you’re covering by simply reading your lead paragraph.
3. Article body. As you have already placed all the important information on your first paragraph, your succeeding paragraphs should contain supporting details and quotes from people who are directly or partly involved in the story that you’re covering.
4. Writing style. You will need to consider the newspaper that you’re writing for when deciding on how to write your articles. If you’re writing for broadsheets for example, it’s important that your articles sound very formal to suit the profile of your target audience. On the other hand, you can use conversational tone if you’re publishing your articles on tabloids.
Author: Sean R Mize
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: Mobile device news
There are several ways to jump start sales for a new work of fiction, but one of the most effective selling points is your sales letter. With the proper format and layout, your marketing letter can do a majority of the selling for you, just leaving you with the task of getting eyes on your letter. Most traditional publishers rely on submitting your book title and description to all the major bookstores, but if you self-publish your fiction, this will give you a leading edge to start racking in some great sales.
Writing a sales letter is a simple eight-step process that involves a little bit of marketing and writing skills. With the proper format, this can not only attract your readers, but can also interest them so much that they simply have to buy whatever it is you are ultimately selling.
In order to market your fiction in the best possible fashion, you must first determine the angle of your marketing piece. By angle, I mean the unique approach you will use to gather your reader’s undivided attention. An angle is a component that captures your reader’s attention with an astonishing twist that keeps them reading your sales letter once they start. It can be a true story related to your book such as how you came up with the story idea, or something else to that nature. It can most certainly be an actual exciting excerpt from your book that makes readers beg for more by the time they finish reading the first paragraph.
The next crucial component, and probably the most important, is your headline! You’ve been to the store and seen those outlandish tabloids lining the book racks, haven’t you? Each of them contains fantastic headlines so outrageous that you just have to pick them up and read the far fetched stories they are trying to sell. Amazingly, they work and tabloids rake in millions of dollars each month selling those fiction stories.
It’s amazing how a single headline can be so intriguing that you have to open up the paper just to see what it’s all about. The same goes with your fiction sales letter headline. Your headline needs to reach out and grab your reader’s attention. This will usually be the first thing your reader sees that starts them reading the rest of your marketing letter.
Your intriguing headline can be a short excerpt from your story such as follows: “John felt a soft scrape across the top of his left shoulder. The air in the room escaped as he slowly turned to see…” This particular headline makes the reader curious as to what John saw once he turned around. Make your headline so strong that your reader wants to continue reading to find out more!
The next component of your sales letter is an opening that adds drama and completes your angle all in two to three paragraphs following your headline. Your opening is important because it makes your visitor feel as though you are talking directly to them. Use the word “you” a lot throughout your opening. Also, start your opening with a salutation such as “Dear fiction reader” or “Dear mystery enthusiast” to call attention to your audience. Remember, you are talking to the person reading your letter. Don’t think of it as a bunch of people reading it; think of it as one person reading it. Your sales letter opening should introduce your story and give a brief description of what your story is about; however, don’t give away too much information. Keep your readers in suspense.
Your next step is to explain to your readers how they will benefit from reading your story. You should tell the reader the entertainment value of your book. Think about how you would benefit by reading your book, then think about how they can benefit. Everyone wants something of value if they are expected to pay money for something. Add value to your book during this stage of your sales letter.
Since you are the author of the fiction work, you are consequentially assumed partial of your own work. A simple solution to set your readers at ease is to add a testimonial or two that raves about your book. A simple way to get testimonials is to give a copy of your work to a few people for free on the condition that they let you know what they thought about it. Quote them word for word about how they felt about your masterpiece and add this to your sales letter as your next step in the process.
If you notice, most best selling novels have a page or two dedicated to brief testimonials from various media sources saying how good their book is. Prospective buyers want to hear from others about what they thought. Don’t use negative remarks, as this will kill any attempt you may have at selling your book. Use these negative remarks as constructive feedback to potentially make your work better.
A properly written sales letter should be similar to a query letter you submit to a literary agent. With all letters, you lead to a conclusion. The next step, therefore, is to conclude your marketing letter with a closing statement. You should try to tie the closing statement in with your opening to make your letter flow. This is also where you add an action element into your marketing piece. A typical desired action can be to subscribe to your newsletter, visit your book’s website, or download a sample of your book; the list of potential actions is limitless. Remember, the key focus of your entire sales letter is to make your readers want to read your book, so send them where they can view a sample of your book, or ultimately buy your book. You can also send them to a mailing list sign up where they will consequently receive a link to your book’s purchase page. Complete your closing statement with your name and book title directly underneath it as your signature.
You’re not done yet. Next you should re-establish your sales pitch before completely ending your sales letter. Add a P.S. to the bottom of your marketing letter to capture your reader’s attention one last time. Touch back upon your angle and benefits your readers will get from your story. The way people read your letter is starting with your headline, reading your opening, skipping to the bottom to see who wrote the letter, and naturally the P.S. at the bottom. This is an expected tendency of someone reading your advertisement, so ensure you emphasize what actions you want them to take somewhere within these areas.
Finally, put your sales letter to work by placing it on your home page of your web site word for word where your work is ultimately sold. This is what is going to captivate your potential buyers when they visit your web site and make them want to purchase your book. In addition, you can use this letter as an email advertisement or newsletter broadcast. Don’t mention “buy my book” or “you must purchase your copy of my book today” anywhere in this marketing letter. This is selling and may turn people off. It is already implied that you want to sell your book. Just tell people why they should buy it, not that they should buy it, and they will buy it.
Think of your sales letter as walking onto a car lot to buy a new car: A good salesman won’t tell you that you have to buy the car you are looking at. They romance you into buying the car by telling you all the great benefits of the particular car you are interested in. Romance your potential readers the same way and you will sell more books than if you simply tell them to buy your book.
Author: Jason Moser
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: Netbook, Tablets and Mobile Computing
Technical writers today have multiple challenges. First there is the challenge of technical writing. Its not creative writing or writing meant to be persuasive. Its not writing meant to inspire or motivate. Technical writing is writing accomplished to convey information. Technical writing in a general sense provides instructions, summarizes actions, organizes data or outlines steps to assist people in an activity.
Another challenge to todays technical writer is the difficulty in clarifying requirements for a particular project. Requirements definition and management seems to be a growing problem in business today. Too much time is spent on project scheduling without sufficient time spent clarifying the project. For example, when undertaking a large technical writing project such as a user manual for a piece of equipment, spend adequate time with the customer establishing the scope of information to be included in the document, a thumbnail sketch about the intended audience, the intended outcomes for the document, and the measurement for success of the project. Then and only then, begin project management activities such as a project schedule and configuration management plan.
So if one of the critical factors in technical writing is writing to the intended audience, how exactly can this be accomplished? In general, todays readers follow these practices, (1) they prioritize whats available to read, (2) they are strongly predisposed to like or dislike a piece based on visual impressions, (3) they skim and scan, (4) they want to know the how and why of a document before they read the details and (5) they totally judge a technical writer by the content and writing quality.
When creating a thumbnail sketch of a reader for a document to be written by a technical writer, keep the above points in mind. But more importantly, do your homework on the specific audience that will be the end users of a technical document. Technical writing is by its very nature, is about conveying information. Technical writing involves telling the reader what they want to know. Technical writing answers questions like who, what, when, where, why and most importantly, how. The answer to a how question is the bread and butter of technical writing.
So when approaching a technical writing project, take the time to think about your reader. Keep that thought in mind as you write. When its time to review and edit, renew your vision of the reader. Maintain a mental picture of the reader in your mind while you edit. Eliminate everything thats unnecessary. Write to their level, not above or below it. Writing to the wrong level, either too elementary or too haughty has caused many projects to flop miserably. Dont do it. As much as possible, put yourself in their shoes. Be aware of what the reader needs to know about the particular topic and answer all of their questions with your writing. Write clearly and without fluff.
Knowing your reader isnt magic. It doesnt take a crystal ball. It just takes thought, a little research, and good judgment.
About the Author: Karen Cohen publishes articles and reports and provides news, views and information about technical writing at http://www.technicalwritingtoday.com.
This article may be reprinted in full so long as the resource box and the live links are included intact. All rights reserved. Copyright: Technical Writing Today 2006
Author: Karen B Cohen
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: Digital TV, HDTV, Satellite TV
Do you dream of earning a great living as full-time writer, author or novelistbut blame your day job for holding you back? Do you resent all the hours you spend commuting to and from work and toiling away at the office when you could be writing instead? Do you tell yourself, as so many writers do, that if only you didnt have to hold down a full-time job, you could become the bestselling author you really want to be? If so, consider this:
Learning to love your day job could be the best thing that ever happened to your writing career.
Writing limbo
The author of an article in a recent newsletter for writers brought up a very interesting phenomenon that Ive seen happen to a number of writers. The writer pointed out that after an initial successgetting her first novel publishedshe quit her day job to devote herself to writing full-time. But soon she found herself in writing limbo. Luck turned against her. Her ideas for future projects were rejected. Her editor moved; her publisher shut down. Things beyond her control worked against her.
After a number of years of struggling, with more time than ever to devote to her writing but without any major accomplishments or successes, she gave up on her writing career and went back to work. Suddenly, things started to click again. Within months, she got a new book deal.
Was it a coincidence, she wondered, that her writing life came together as soon as she went back to work? She didnt think so, and neither do I. A similar thing happened to me.
Desperate times
My wife and I had just had our second child. Wed outgrown our house, so we sold it and moved into a rental while we looked for a new place we could afford. We were both working part-time. We had no health insurance, the rental was expensivemore than we could comfortably affordand our normal expenses were quickly draining the nest-egg we got from the sale of our house. My wife worried that wed burn through our savings before we could buy a new place.
Id been writing a novel on the side, but considering our financial condition, I could no longer justify spending time writing a book that might or might not pay off. I needed a sure thing. I knew that for nonfiction books, authors collected advances before writing the book. I decided that was the answer. A nonfiction book deal would solve my money problems and allow me to keep writing.
I started going about getting a book deal via the usual routedeveloping a proposal and snail-mailing it to a list of agents gleaned from marketplace directories. But time passed, the bills kept coming, and it became clear that I couldnt afford to wait months and months while snail-mailed proposals circulated. A quick, miracle book deal was not going to save the day.
So I switched gears and put my efforts toward getting a full-time job that would pay the bills and provide health benefits and life insurance in case I dropped dead of stress. Id long avoided this kind of full-on job commitment because I thought it would leave me no time to write. But now, with a family to take care of and dire financial straits looming, I realized I had to put my beloved writing on hold.
I made peace with this, and soon after got a good job in advertising, helping to craft pitches for multimillion-dollar product accounts. Seeing firsthand how effective the advertising approach could be, I decided over a Thanksgiving weekend to apply the principles I was learning on the job to the task of getting a publishing deal. It worked. A short time later, I had a book deal. It never wouldve happened if I hadnt embraced the day-job life.
Busys better
The point of all this is that no matter what you have going on in your life, you can still achieve your writing goals. It doesnt matter if your life is busy, and in fact, its probably better to be busy than to have all the time in the world. Time and money pressures will force you to be more focused with your available hours. As uncomfortable as this can be, youll learn to work smarter, not harder, as they say. Youll become more creative in your approach than someone who is facing less pressure.
Holding down a full-time job may actually put you in your optimal state of mind for achieving writing success, as it did for the newsletter writer above. Or, something you learned on the job may be the thing you need to catapult your writing aspirations, like it was for me. The thing to keep in mind is that its not how much time you have to devote to achieving your writing dreams. Its to believe that somehow you will achieve what you want, and then to do what you can in the time available to you to make it happen.
So give it a try. Learn to love your day job. For the paycheck. For the measure of security it brings. Look around you at work. See what effective marketing or business practices used there might be applied to your writing career. See what it is that makes people productive and capable of meeting deadlines with professional quality work. Try instituting some of these practices in your writing. Give it a shot. Stop blaming your day job. Try loving it for a change. I think youll be very surprised at the results.
Author: John Kearney
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: Cellphone news
Ever since I was a young girl, I have loved to write. Nothing was as freeing as sitting down and weaving a tale. The feeling of complete control was exhilarating. It still is. It did not matter if I was writing a long story, or a short one, the feeling was the same. One of my favorite fiction types was, and is, flash fiction.
But what is flash fiction? Depends on who you ask. Some feel a story is flash fiction if it is under 1000 words. Others feel it must be under 500 words to be in that category. Regardless of which one you believe, flash fiction is fun to write.
Flash fiction is similar to writing poetry. Every word must count when you write a poem and the same goes for short fiction. It takes discipline and a ruthless ability to only use the words necessary to tell the tale. You must accomplish a lot of things right away: introduce the main character, set the stage and prepare the reader for the story. And do this in a minimum number of words.
So, how do you accomplish this feat of writing magic? I am glad you asked.
1. Before you write, know what your story is going to be about. You should have a clear theme in your mind while you are writing. This is not the plot of your story, it is the message you want to pass on to your reader, what they will take with them when they finish your story.
2. Effective flash fiction stories deal with one event or time period in a character’s life. This is not the kind of fiction vehicle to write your character’s life story. It is one to use to write about one pivotal moment and its outcome.
3. Keep the number of characters down to the bare minimum. Every new character adds a new dimension to your tale and will require words to introduce, describe and resolve any conflicts. Keep only the characters who aid your main character along his journey.
4. Focus your story plot along one subject. Write the theme of your tale down and keep it near you while you write. Refer to it during the entire writing, and editing, time. Do not let your mind stray from that theme.
5. Pick each word carefully. You do not need a long, involved description of the character’s bedroom in a flash fiction. More is not better here. Give your reader a quick snapshot of the settings and events, enough to fill in the gaps without wasting your precious words.
6. Do not forget to use emotions to move your plot forward. Emotion is a powerful writing tool, one that writers sometimes forget about. Happiness, sadness, loss and elation are all emotions readers can identify with, so use them!
7. When you edit, do so with a sharp eye. Now is not the time to become sentimental about your “words”, now is the time to cut the ones that are not expressing your story theme. Slash overly descriptive scene, remove aimless dialogue, and only keep the words you need to tell your tale.
8. Flash fiction can be used for other things as well. It is a great way to get a better handle on a character from another story or novel you are writing. Take a character you need more insight on, give them a task and let them solve the problem quickly. You can use this type of story to learn more about your character, even if you never use it in a longer story.
Flash fiction stories are fun to write. They test your ability to tell a story concisely. With practice, flash fiction can become a wonderful writer’s tool for you.
Author: Dawn Arkin
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: Latest trends in mobile phone
Can Quick Grammar Guide & Checker solve our grammar writing problems once and for all? English writing is one of the most important forms of communication today, it is necessary to maintain it correct and professional. Let’s take a look and see how recent technological improvements can help us on improving our writing skills.
Quick introduction
What is Quick Grammar Guide & Checker all about? Well, it is one of these innovative solutions that technology keeps bringing in order to make our life easier – in our case it is about fixing our English writing. By simulating the human mind, this technology analyzes your writing by comparing it to a dynamic large database that contains proper variations of your text. Sophisticated language processing solutions usually offer the following: editing and proofreading, checking on spelling and typos, and most importantly – analyzing our grammar writing.
Important benefits
We can easily find several important advantages while using this technology:
* Significantly enhancing the capabilities of our existing text editors.
* Improving our self confidence with our writing.
* Improving the image we want to project through our writing.
Extra research on this solution would probably bring up additional benefits that aren’t mentioned here, as this important webmarketing technique keeps changing, bringing us fresh solutions that help us on improving our English writing and editing skills.
Quick summary
If we summarize the main benefit provided by this powerful Quick Grammar Guide & Checker – it is helping us on identifying possible writing errors before we deliver or publish our writing assignments. Everyone agrees that it cannot completely eliminate our writing problems; however, it can significantly help us on improving our writing skills. Undoubtedly we can expect this exciting technology to further develop itself, for one simple reason: writing is one of the most important tools that help us achieving many of our goals.
Author: Gil Lavitov
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: Digital Camera Information
Writing is a lot like sculpture. In both crafts you trim away the excess to reveal the art within.
Sculptors chip or carve away at stone, wood or clay; writers trim words.
Here are a few tips to guide you along this process:
1. Separate your tasks. Do not begin revising as soon as you finish writing the rough draft. Go for a walk or reward yourself in some way, so you can get some psychological distance. The more emotionally or intellectually I am involved with a written piece, the easier it is to overlook gaps in logic, unclear language and other areas that need revision. Give yourself at least three or four hours, if not the next day to begin revising your work.
2. Stay on message. Some writers like to make a checklist of body copy, why readers respond, headlines and other structural elements of the work. They use these checklists to ensure that they have organized their information in a way that will make sense to their readers. Typically you will have more information about your subject than you will use. The words you choose reflect your understanding of both the subject and your readers.
3. Read the draft out loud. This is not only an important proofreading skill; it works for revising and editing as well. When you read out loud you can hear the rhythm and cadence of the piece. If you stumble on a word, that may be a tongue-twister or evidence of weak writing. If you stop mid sentence, the idea may be confusing and may need to be restated. You may need to rearrange the order of paragraphs for clarification. Obvious errors in grammar, subject/verb agreement and other problems will be easier to identify as you say the words.
4. Read the draft out loud after each revision. Is your writing clear? Do you make your point or state your argument in a way that is clear to readers? Is the tone of your writing appropriate for your audience? Are industry-specific or technical terms defined? Do your transitions move readers easily from one point to the next? Have you used paragraphs, outline form or bullets to help the reader follow your thinking?
5. Check all facts and references. Are your quotes, names of experts or sources, and all supporting materials accurate? Have you written enough to satisfy your reader?
6. Does it work? Does your conclusion tie your previous points together? Do you deliver what you promised in your opening paragraphs? A checklist can be a useful tool if there are gaps in your delivery.
7. Write more than you need. The words you end up trimming are not wasted words. Once you are satisfied with the organization of your paper, you may find a better or clearer example to support your point. Often this material is in earlier drafts.
8. Let it rest. Once you are confident that this is your best writing, don’t read it again for at least one day.
9. Proofread before you publish. This is the time to check the details. Read the piece backwards to catch spelling, numerical or grammatical errors. Double check facts, read your work aloud one last time, and make sure it is letter perfect before you send it out.
By allowing the process to unfold, your can create a well crafted written piece from your notes to early drafts.
Author: JJ Murphy
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: Digital Camera News
If youve read any of my work before, you probably know that I’ve been in publishing since 1987, have been a freelancer since 1993 and ran an editorial staffing agency in New York City from 1996 through 2004.
Some lessons Ive learned from this crazy journey are as follows:
1. Staying abreast of technology is crucial: Back in 1998, I was pushed to get a website for my company because clients and candidates were asking questions like, Can I apply online? Can I download the contract from your site? Can I post a job to your website?
Well, as we didnt even have a website, I would embarrassingly say no. The loud silence, especially from clients, on the other end of the phone line got to be too much.
Going through the process of getting a website taught me the value of staying on top of technology. I learned that while I dont need to be a hard-nosed techie, to stay competitive, I had to know enough to be able to stay competitive. This meant not only getting a site, but learning how to update it myself.
One of the wonderful things about technology is that new tools are constantly being developed for those of us who are NOT tech-savvy, eg, FrontPage software for building websites, autoresponder software, listserv software for building mailing lists, etc.
2. Writing is a skill: Obviously, you mutter. However, many writers dont treat their craft like it. I single out writers because, in my experience, proofreaders, copy editors, indexers, editors, graphic designers, illustrators, etc. all seem to see intrinsic value and take pride in their work.
Many writers take their craft for granted. Maybe its because society views writing as just words on paper. After all, once you know your ABCs, you can write, right? Well, editorial professionals know better than anyone that this is not so.
One thing I advise all professional writers to do to combat this lackadaisical attitude is to treat their writing like a business skill. Just like being a professional coder, artist or web designer when you put yourself out there, market and treat your skill like the highly valued commodity it is.
Let it be reflected in your perfectly prepared marketing materials eg, your website, brochure, postcard, etc. Also, when you speak with potential clients, be sure to use a professional tone. No one is going to believe that you write professionally if you dont talk like it as well.
3. Freelancing full-time is not hard: Its not easy, to be sure. But, building a successful, full-time freelance career is not terribly difficult, if:
a. You have experience within your discipline. Most successful freelancers Ive encountered have worked full-time within their discipline at some point.
b. You are willing to work fulltime and freelance on the side for a period of time. Many freelancers leave their jobs once they got too burned out doing both, or secure a big project that allows them to make the leap.
c. You plan for it. Some freelancers (the most successful ones I might add) are more calculating about their careers.
What I mean by this is that they plan a year or two out knowing that they are going to leave their jobs. So, they save 6 months or a years expenses, pay off credit card bills, buy equipment while working full-time, etc.; then, they make the leap.
The ones I know who followed this path are, not surprisingly, the most successful meaning, they have gone on to hire employees. A few even opened offices and became official businesses because their client load demanded it.
Can you build a freelance business if you dont have these three things? Absolutely! However, it is even more critical that you devise a plan of how youre going to go about it. Having experience and industry contacts makes it easier, but the web makes it easier than ever today to start a freelance business.
4. Marketing is a skill that must be developed: When most freelancers start out, they may have two or three clients who keep them pretty busy. BUT, the day comes when the projects dry up (it always happens) and you have to scrounge for business.
Its at this point that many panic and start looking for a full-time job again. When I was recruiting, I received more than a few panicked calls, eg, I have to find something — quick!
Invariably, I was unable to help them (see Point #5 below). It usually was a moot point though because within a month or so, some project would come along and they would no longer be interested or available for a full-time job.
It was during this time that I got interested in the whole topic of freelancing as a business. Most freelancers focus on their craft and not the business of freelancing. However, as I preach ad nauseam on InkwellEditorial.com, to be successful as a freelancer, you must, must, must learn how to market if you want a full-time, sustainable career as a freelancer.
5. Employers dont like to hire freelancers for full-time jobs: It was my experience when I was recruiting that if you freelanced full-time for a year or more, employers were very hesitant to hire you as a full-time employee. Why?
Because most think that you are only seeking full-time work because you have hit a rough patch financially. Logically, it just makes sense. I mean, who gives up a successful freelance career to go back to the 9-5 grindstone? Most employers figured that as soon as the next big project came along, their new hire would be out the door.
I have seen it happen on many occasions so much so that when I was recruiting, I would screen out those with a significant freelance history because the chances that they would leave was just too great.
I once lost a $6,000 placement fee because the employee quit 10 days before the 90-day guarantee. [Most recruiting firms give employers a 60 or 90-day guarantee that the employee will stay put for at least this amount of time, or they dont have to pay.]
6. You cant change your rates every year: Charge enough that you dont have to change your rate for three years. I know some make take umbrage with this, but Ive found editorial (eg, writing, copy editing, proofreading, indexing, editing, etc.) to be a very static industry. It is not one where you can raise rates yearly.
Some of the companies I freelanced for back in 1993 still pay the same rates today Im not kidding! So, I advise all freelancers who are just starting out to start out charging enough so that they dont have to change their rates for three years.
Its been my experience that after this period, you can increase rates without worrying about losing even one of your clients. Putting forth the argument of, we havent raised rates in three years somehow seems to make it fair for them.
Working on this time schedule, I dont ever remember losing a client. I think its a combination of clients being comfortable with your work and them thinking, after three years, an increase is only fair.
7. You must develop a niche: Ive known a few freelancers who did several things successfully (eg, designed websites and wrote the copy for them), but this was the exception, not the norm.
Most successful freelancers niche it. What I mean is, they develop a niche and stick to it. In my opinion, it is far easier to become successful like this than being a generalist.
Trust me, those sites where you see freelancers touting that they do everything from writing to web design to illustration are not making that much money, or they are farming the work out to other freelancers.
Most clients like to know that they are getting a knowledgeable professional who has a history and body of work within the discipline they are being hired for. If it is a pharmaceutical company, they want a writer who has done this type of writing before.
So, develop a niche and market the hell out of it!
8. Patience is a virtue: Even after all of my years in the industry, Im amazed by how difficult it can be to be patient while I grow my business. I have lists and lists of ideas that I want to implement and there just never seems to be enough time.
This is easily a career where you can work nonstop all the time. An idea for an article pops in your head and instead of jotting down the idea, you find yourself writing the whole article; you go online to do some research, and before you know it you have spent two hours surfing the net on an unrelated matter; you log on to check email, and in an instant, you find yourself redesigning a section of your website; the list is endless.
This is an issue I still struggle with; although, I have gotten better about stopping. So, instead of browsing for 2 hours, it might be 30 minutes before I literally make myself stop and go back to my original task.
The best advice I can give to stop this kind of behavior is to think of your long-range goals and ask yourself if what youre doing this very minute is getting you closer to them. If not, stop and get back on track.
9. Retirement is not planned for: I can count the number of times on one hand that Ive had conversations with freelancers about retirement. Most small business owners (and thats what freelancing is, small business ownership) have an exit strategy, or a day where they envision doing something else.
For some reason, editorial and creative freelancers dont think this way. Well, while you may be able to write or design websites from anywhere at any age, whos to say youre going to want to when youre 70?
In my quest to get freelancers to think of themselves as businesses, one of the things I wish more would do is plan for retirement. This includes looking into 401K plans, buying investment real estate, building a sellable business, etc.
Again, just because you might be capable of churning out material long past retirement age does not mean that you are going to want to. So, plan for the day when you wont have to.
10. Longevity pays: The longer you freelance, the easier it gets. My business mentor said to me once, when you first start out, you are just greasing the pipes. After two or three years, clients will not be quite so hard to come by.
Its just like search engine positioning — the longer your site is on the web, the more frequently it is spidered by search engine bots, the more results it shows up in, the more popular it is, more people find it and voila! you have a popular site.
If you are constantly marketing and networking, eventually, it will seem effortless and referrals will flow in. Thats because you build traction just by being around. Many freelancers dont hang in there long enough to get this type of seamless recognition.
In conclusion, freelancing is a wonderful career — if, like anything other venture you enter, you take it seriously enough to work it like a business.
Author: Yuwanda Black
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: Digital Camera Times
Learning how to become a freelance writer can be hard and intimidating, and I kept that in mind with my site review, hoping to help you all avoid the mistakes I’ve made and to give you enough information to make you confident in signing up and getting started.
The following are some step by step tips that can help beginning writers make the most out of Constant Content, even just starting out.
Constant Content Writing Tip #1: Proof read. Writers can charge a lot more for their articles on Constant Content because buyers know to expect really high quality articles when they make a purchase from CC.
Constant Content Writing Tip #2: Don’t under charge for your work. This is a classic mistake, and one I made early on. Don’t charge $7 for usage on a 400 word article. Even charging $14 is on the very low side of acceptable. In fact, don’t be surprised if you sell more articles once you mark up your prices to more competitive levels.
Constant Content Writing Tip #3: Think evergreen. “Evergreen Content” when referring to freelance writing is content that could be desired over and over. Top 10 lists are good evergreen content, as are how to articles. An article about the 2008 election, on the other hand, might get you a sale in 2008, but that’s probably it. A Top 10 list of the best vampire movies, however, is a freelance article that could sell over and over again, especially near Halloween every year.
Constant Content Writing Tip #4: Know your strategy. Selling only usage rights does make it easier to set up a passive income stream, but full rights articles sell for a lot more money and are in much higher demand. Depending on your immediate and long term goals, this can affect the prices you set and even what type of rights you’re wiling (or not) to sell.
Constant Content Writing Tip #5: Don’t be afraid to experiment with high prices. Does charging $59 for full rights for a good 450 word article that required 45 minutes of your time sound like too much? Not every article is worth that, but many are, especially if you’re writing on a topic that requires special knowledge (like a solid poker player talking about poker, or a mechanic writing about automotive how to).
I hope these tips help. Follow these and you will be on your way to great freelance writing success on Constant Content.
Author: Shane Dayton
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: Beading Necklace
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