Breaking into freelance writing has a few hoops. One of those hoops is how to write a query letter. As an editor, I regularly receive pitches like the following: I know a mover and shaker in the dairy farm industry. How about a story about dairy farming? Because this guy told me he […]
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How to Make Your Editor Happy
Many freelancers would pay money to be told How to Give an Editor What He Wants. But you don’t have to because I’m going to give it to you for free. Why would I do that? I love teaching other folks what I’ve already learned. If you stop and think about it, it’s a […]
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Batch Writing
I write different kinds of things for various clients. I write magazine articles. Some short, some long features. I write blog posts, my own and for other blogs. And I write emails. I also edit and proofread–magazine copy, websites and blog posts. In addition to writing and editing, I have email to answer–from several accounts. […]
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Are Your Stories Alive?
Are your stories alive? Or are they boring narratives that no one wants to read? Here is an example: BORING The head chef said that the best way to get paper-thin slices of tomato is to use a sharp knife or a mandoline. ALIVE “Your knife must be sharp,” said the head chef as […]
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Thoughts on Deadlines
I can approach deadlines from two perspectives–the freelancer and the editor. From the freelancer perspective, I need deadlines. I once had an editor that told me to send the story when I had it and she would work it in. Really? To this day, I don’t understand how she managed her editorial content. But, the […]
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3 Reasons to Write for Content Mills
According to Wikipedia, a content mill: is a company that employs large numbers of freelance writers to generate large amounts of textual content which is specifically designed to satisfy algorithms for maximal retrieval by automated search engines. Why so many writers feel compelled to start their careers writing for content mills, I will never understand. […]
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Have You Met Trello?
Have you met Trello? O.M.G. I LOVE Trello. Trello is my new organizational tool. It is the only digital organizational tool I have stuck with using. You see, I’m really a paper and pencil kinda gal and the digital things like Evernote are great at first. Then, I just can’t see enough. I can’t touch […]
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How to Find Files without Cleaning off Your Desk
If you are a creative person, your desk is a mess. That’s a given. I’m not about to tell you how to keep it organized, because that would mess with the right side of your brain and kill the flow of those creative juices. But what I will tell you is how to find folders […]
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Palette vs Palate
I was reading a Facebook post on one of my favorite magazine’s news feed. In that post, they used the word palate. When I read that word, I was reminded of a story that I wrote for the same publication using the word palette. The fact that palette and palate are two entirely different things, […]
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