Change The World With Words

My novel edit continues, and right now I’m looking at dialogue, so I’m trying to pull together everything I’ve read, heard, and been taught about the art of writing good dialogue. Here’s the checklist I’ve put together for myself. As always, feel free to share your own dialogue writing tips in the comments.

1.  Make your dialogue realistic.

It sounds obvious, but it’s important to write how people speak. A common mistake when writing dialogue (and one I definitely slip into from time to time) is to have your characters speak in long complex sentences.  Have you ever noticed how short most spoken sentences are? In his book Writing Dialogue, Tom Chiarella suggests trying to get most spoken sentences down to three words or less. It won’t always be possible but it’s an interesting exercise in making your dialogue sound more like real speech.

2.  But not too realistic.

Real life dialogue is full of pauses, digressions, unfinished sentences and repetitions. A little of this reflects real speech patterns. Too much becomes incomprehensible. Finding the balance is sometimes tricky.

3.  Be careful with speech tags.

“He said” is fine. It’s also OK to vary your speech tags a little by allowing a character to whisper or shout, but a string of characters exclaiming, pronouncing, stuttering and ejaculating is… distracting, at best.

4.  And even more careful when omitting speech tags.

It can be very effective to have a piece of dialogue where there are no speech tags at all, but make sure it’s obvious who is saying what. This technique works well for short exchanges, but can get confusing during long exchanges or when there are more than two characters speaking (trust me, I’ve tried it).

5.  Give characters definitive speech patterns and pet words and phrases.

This helps with making dialogue sound realistic and can really help keep it clear who’s talking when you want to leave speech tags out.

6.  Use a short burst of action instead of a speech tag.

Have someone do something (anything from a nervous tic to a sip of coffee can work) just before they speak. This can indicate who is speaking without adding a tag.

7.  Be careful with dialects and accents.

Again, a little brings realism to the dialogue. Too much makes it incomprehensible. Try creating the sound of a dialect through speech patterns, as much as (or more than) through misspelling.

8.  Give information (without sounding like you’re doing it).

Dialogue is a great way to present information to the reader but sometimes it’s really hard to do it without sounding obvious. You can end up with sentences like:

“Hi John, are you feeling better? It was a tough year for you last year, what with the divorce, losing your job, your daughter being abducted by aliens and you ending up in rehab.”

Generally speaking if you have characters ‘telling’ each other stuff they should already know, you’re probably overusing the ‘dialogue as information’ technique.

9.  Reveal character.

Having a character say something obnoxious or racist is far better than stating in the narrative “X was an obnoxious racist”.

10.  Get the punctuation right.

According to one of my early writing tutors (who happened to have been an editor) this is one of the biggest peeves editors have with dialogue. People punctuate it incorrectly. I know I used to (and I usually consider myself a bit of a grammar geek). Look up how to do it properly (there’s a good “nuts and bolts” section that covers this in Writing Dialogue), or just study how it’s done in a published book.

OK, back to editing for me. If you have friends and followers who might appreciate this post, please share or forward. Thanks

“Writing is rewriting. A writer must learn to deepen characters, trim writing, intensify scenes.  To fall in love with the first draft to the point where one cannot change it is to greatly enhance the prospects of never publishing.” 

- Richard North Patterson

Editing your own book is a challenge. The first piece of advice any responsible publisher or experienced writer will give you is probably “pay for professional editing services”.

Badly edited work is a common reason for rejection, and unfortunately self-publishers who also decide to self-edit may find their book stands out for all the wrong reasons. But what if you have to edit your own book? What if you genuinely can’t afford professional editing services? Or what if you just want to get your book in the best possible shape before sending it off to an editor? I’ve been working on editing the first draft of my first novel and have put together a checklist for myself (please feel free to add to it in the comments section). Asking yourself the following questions as you edit can help you do the best possible job of self-editing. This particular list applies mainly to fiction writing. (A post on editing non-fiction is in the works. Please subscribe if you don’t want to miss it.)

1. Did you leave a suitable amount of time between finishing the project and the edit? The longer the project, the longer you need. For a full-length novel, you probably need at least a couple of weeks.

2. Did you use some of that time to read something that will help you in the rewrite? (I recommend the rewriting section of Stephen King’s On Writing or  Get Your Writing Fighting Fit: Editing Secrets Revealed.)

3.  Have you started with a kick ass first sentence? Think Orwell’s 1984 “It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen.” Ask yourself if your book would make it onto a book reviewer’s list of ‘great/surprising/compelling first sentences’ in your genre.

4. Is the beginning where it should be? Does the story grab the reader’s attention from the very first words? Have you started in the middle of the action or wasted two pages setting the scene?

5. Is it clear straight away who the main character is? Generally speaking, readers expect the first character they meet to be the main character.

6. Is it clear fairly quickly what the main character’s problem is? And his motivations for solving it?

7. Is there someone (an antagonist) and/or something (a situation or obstacle) working against the main character?

8. Is the antagonist’s motivation as strong as the protagonist’s – and just as clear?

9. Do the protagonist and antagonist both have something vitally important (to them) at stake?

10. Will the reader be able to identify with the main characters?

11. Are all the characters realistic (remember no-one is ever all good or all bad)?

12. Is the protagonist out gunned? The easiest way to create lots of conflict is to have a character battling more or stronger characters, with bigger or better weapons (literally or figuratively).

13. Are the villains strong enough to cause the protagonist real problems? Often authors don’t really like their antagonists, which is understandable, but it can lead to them creating weak characters.

14. Is your dialogue realistic?

15. Does each character have a distinct voice?

16. Do you need every scene? Are some scenes slowing the story down? Can they be edited out or cut shorter (or broken up to disperse the information in them throughout the book?).

17. Do you need to lengthen or add a scene to keep the stakes high, or add information to the story?

18. Are your transitions quick and effective?

19. Have you transitioned neatly in and out of any flashbacks?

20. Is your setting clear to the reader?

21. Have you edited out all unnecessary words, sentences, passages and scenes?

22. Have you checked to make sure you didn’t edit out something you later refer to?

23. Does every sentence move the story forward?

24. Does anyone do something ‘out of character” for the sake of the plot?

25. Did you foreshadow any coincidences or plot twists?

26. Did you look for themes that crop up throughout your book and emphasize them?

27. Did you fact check everything you present as factual?

28. Is the ending satisfying?

29. Are all your loose ends tied up?

30. Will your final chapter make readers want to buy your next book?

Finally, even if you self-edit, it really helps to get someone else to look at your work. Consider an online or real life critique group, or a writer’s workshop where you will get some of your work critiqued. I’ve just come across the site Scribeophile, where authors can critique other’s work in return for getting a critique of their own. It looks like an interesting concept, and basic membership is free.

What’s your favourite editing tip? Feel free to share in the comments.

There are plenty of freelance writing tools that cost a fortune, and some that are completely free (see the Freebie page for a few of those). But what if you’re ready to boost your ego and spoil yourself by investing in your writing career, but still relatively broke? What if you just sold your first $15 article and want to treat yourself, and preferably still have a few bucks left over?

Take a look at these great little freelance writing tools that cost $10 or less.

Freelance Writing: A Beginners Guide by Jason Little ($3.95)

A 53-page guide that covers everything from the attitude needed to be your own boss, through to different writing formats, the various techniques needed to market your writing services, and how to manage payments. All for less than $5, and a money back guarantee. If you’re a beginner freelance writer, you’d have to be trying quite hard to go wrong with this product.

Where To Search For Freelance Writing Jobs by Anne Wayman ($9.95)

Anne Wayman is known for her excellent online newsletters highlighting current job openings for freelance writers. Now she’s made it even easier for us freelance job hunters by handing over (for less than $10) this list of the same 59 current live links that she uses to compile her newsletters. Each link leads to real freelance writing jobs around the internet. A great (time saving) tool for freelancers who are regularly out there looking for online jobs.

Business cards from Vistaprint ($8.99 or free)

Vistaprint are currently offering packs of premium business cards starting at $8.99, and yes, you can also opt for free business cards. The only drawbacks to the freebies are that you are limited as to the designs you can choose and they come with advertising (for Vistaprint) on the back. Personally, I think I’ll spring for the premium ones next time I need them. They’re still under $10.

Webhosting (from $5.95 a month)

Yes. If you’re serious about freelance writing you will eventually need your own blog or website and your own domain name. It generally costs less than $10 a month. I use Bluehost, who are currently offering hosting for $5.95 a month and are perfect if you want to run a basic blog (like this one) or writers’ website. You can get bigger, better and more expensive hosting options, but it’s not hard to find deals with any major hosting company for under $10 a month.

WordPress ($0)

It’s free once you’ve paid for your hosting and is (in my opinion) the best and most versatile blogging platform. You can also use it to create a normal (static) website if you just want an online home for your writing resume, somewhere to post links to your clips and a way for clients to contact you easily.

Twitter 101 for Authors By Shelley Hitz ($10)

Once you’ve got your blog or site set up (or even before) you probably need to start dipping your toes into social media. There are a gazillion sites you can sign up for to create an online presence and connect with other writers, editors and clients.

I recommend Twitter (the only social media site where you’ll find me on a regular basis) and if you’re new to it (or not new to it but still confused by it) I recommend Twitter 101, a great resource for writers and authors who want to get the most out of the site.

Skype ($0 and up)

For communicating with clients all over the world, basic Skype services are free and they have paid packages for under $10 a month.

Notebook and pen (from $2)

A vital tool for any writer, even if you almost always write (and even jot notes and lists) straight onto an electronic device. There’s a theory that writing long hand uses a different area of the brain. I definitely find it’s a creativity stimulator and writers’ block buster. Notebooks (and pens) are, of course, available from any dollar store, but even if you want to splash out on something fancier like this beautiful Tree of Life notebook from Amazon, it will only cost you $8.99, or maybe less.

The Little Red Writing Book, by Brandon Royal ($9.99)

A great little writing book covering structure, style and grammar, for those of us who are full of great stories but need a little help pulling them together on the page. Available from Amazon.

A Paypal Account ($0)

I do get checks in for my freelance writing work, but they’re becoming rarer. Many freelance writing markets will now pay with Paypal. It’s free to set up an account and you can link it to your bank account to access funds. Once you get to the stage that you have a lot of transactions going through your account there is a fee, but it’s per transaction and is deducted from your funds as they go in.

Paypal is also a good secure way to pay any writers or other freelancers who work for you, once you get to the stage where you are outsourcing work.

What’s your favourite affordable writing tool? Feel free to let us know via the comments.

Writers used to just write, and not worry about marketing themselves or their work. Blogging and social media and tweeting and sharing were for B-list celebrities and trendy dot.com companies run by nineteen year old millionaires.

Now, if you want to be a successful writer, and certainly if you want to sell your books, it’s all about building a writer platform and getting yourself known.

Love it or hate it, Twitter is part of that platform building process for many writers. It’s taken me over a year to find my way round, so I thought I’d share what I’ve learned so far, and particularly the tips and tricks that have helped my writing career.

1.  Use your profile to say what you are as well as who you are

Freelance Writer, Children’s Author, Self Publisher etc. People often search for people similar to themselves to follow, and potential clients may search for what they need (Eg. Freelance Writer or Editing Services).

2.  Sound interesting in your profile

Yes, this is a challenge in such a small space, but because you have so little to work with it’s even more important. You have to sound interesting enough that people will think your tweets will be worth reading.

3.  Add a photo

If you don’t you will be left with Twitter’s strange anonymous egg image. This is off-putting for many people, not least because it can be the mark of a spammer.

4.  Add a link (or two)

When your profile has to be super short, anyone in doubt will click on your link(s) to decide whether you’re worth following.  Put a link to your blog, writer’s website or at least somewhere else online that you have a more detailed profile (such as Linked In, or a site you regularly write for).

5.  Use the Wefollow application

Head on over to WeFollow and add yourself under the “writing” tag. You can also be more specific. There’s a “writingbooks” tag, for example, and a “writingpoems” tag. You can also add yourself under “blogging” or “creative”. This is a good way to let like minded tweeters (who are often searching for similar people to follow) know you exist.

6.  Only follow people you’re genuinely interested in

If you follow a load of random people in the hope that they will follow you back you’ll soon find yourself overwhelmed with dubious tweets you aren’t interested in.

7.  Unfollow people who don’t provide value

It’s OK to unfollow people whose tweets aren’t relevant to you. If you don’t you’ll miss the ones that are. If you ignored the tip above and started out following people in the hope they’d follow you back you can use a handy little tool called Friend or Follow to work out who didn’t, and at the very least unfollow them.

8.  Tweet useful stuff

Sometimes it’s OK to tweet things just for fun or do a status update type tweet, but generally speaking writers use Twitter to find useful information in their niche. Tweet about good articles, blog posts and resources you come across, with a link. After looking at someone’s (very short) profile and their link, the only other thing people can use to decide whether to follow you or not is the quality of your previous tweets. High quality tweets are more likely to get re-tweeted as well.

9.  Self-promote respectfully

It’s fine to tweet your own articles and blog posts, or to tweet about your book launch.  In fact it’s expected. But remember to tweet and re-tweet other writers’ posts and articles as well. Nobody likes someone who only talks about themself. And on that note…

10.  Don’t link direct to sales pages or sign up pages in your tweet

This is really annoying.

11.  #Use #Hash #Tags #With #Caution

Hash tags are useful to indicate what your tweet is about and help others in your niche find it (I use #writingtips regularly). But if your #tweet #looks #like #this, you’re overdoing it.

12.  If you are going to use hash tags, consider #amwriting

Find out more about it here.

13.  Use lists

I was really slow on the uptake with this and am still trying to rectify it. Get organized from the start if you can and create lists to “file” people into (such as writers, editors, agents, bloggers). You’ll be able to find all the tweeters you follow in a particular area really quickly, and at the very least it will help you remember why you followed people.

14.  Use @mentions when possible

When you want to communicate with someone directly (especially to say something positive or to thank them for a service) do it with an @mention, not a direct message. This is a public shout-out to them and will get them new followers, which is the least you can do if they’ve helped you out, or you’ve found their content particularly useful.

15.  Put a Twitter button on your blog or writer’s website

May sound obvious but some people really don’t make it that easy to follow them.

16.  Put a ‘Tweet This’ button on your blog or site

If you’re active on Twitter (or even if you don’t use it at all) make it easy for others to tweet your posts and articles.

17.  Connect with editors and agents (appropriately)

Yes you can get an editor or agent interested in your book on Twitter, but there is etiquette involved. See this post for some tips.

18.  Try and build a targeted following

It really is better to have 500 followers who genuinely know who you are, want to read your work and maybe even buy your book when it comes out, than to have 5000 followers who have no idea who you are or why they followed you. Building a targeted following takes time and happens organically, which brings us to the next point.

19.  Be patient

It takes time to find your way round Twitter. Don’t give up if you don’t ‘get’ it straight away, or if it doesn’t bring a sudden flood of traffic to your site, or sales of your book. Hang out a bit more and see if it starts to make sense to you. Lots of articles will tell you how to get loads of followers really quickly but, as with so many things in life, quality is more important than quantity. Grow your following slowly and naturally you’ll get a better class of follower.

20.  Follow me

I tweet lots of useful writing-related stuff. Find me here.

I still consider myself on a steep learning curve when it comes to Twitter. If you have any other tips to share, please throw them into the comments.

Update: Just came across a great, and very affordable, resource: Twitter 101 for Authors. Well worth checking out if you’re an author or freelance writer looking for the most effective ways to use Twitter.

Image from ProductiveDreams.com

“Time is what we want most, but what we use worst.” ~ William Penn

Productivity for writers is, at it’s simplest, about not wasting whatever time you have available for your writing. Generally speaking, time is wasted in minutes, not hours. How often do you find yourself at home, in the car or out in your community waiting for something to happen in ten minutes? How often do you wish you could spend that time writing, or at least doing something productive that would further your writing career?

In ten minutes you’ll be leaving for the school run, going to your day job, leaving your day job, returning that phone call, going into the store that’s not yet open, picking up the child from sports practice, getting called into the doctor’s office, going to meet a friend, finally getting your teenage daughter out of  the bathroom so you can get in, rounding up your kids from the top of the jungle gym or using your lap top again because it finally finished downloading an update you’re not sure you needed in the first place.

You do nothing (except fret and get frustrated) because you think you don’t have time to ‘start’ anything. Actually you have time to start and finish all kinds of things.  Here are a few of them.

Productive writing related tasks you can do when you only have ten minutes:

Write

You can write 200 words in ten minutes. It’s not a lot but it’s better than 0 words. If it’s a 200 word outline of an article, blog post or the next chapter of your book, you’ve made good use of your ten minutes. You don’t need me to remind you to always carry a notebook, do you?

Read

A chapter. A few pages. An article. A blog post. A newsletter. It’s easier to read something useful than write something useful if you only have ten minutes. You don’t need me to remind you to always carry reading material do you?

Research

It’s easy to assume you need to set aside big chunks of time to research an article or book. But in ten minutes you can do some Googling, find some useful websites and bookmark them or save them to your favorites. Make sure you put them in a folder marked ‘research’ or named after the project you’re researching. If you have a hard copy of some research notes for a project you’re working on, take them everywhere with you and go over a page or two whenever you can.

Network

I actually think too much social media and online networking is a time suck and a productivity disaster, but if you only have ten minutes you can’t waste more than ten minutes, can you? Enough time to tweet/stumble/Digg a useful blog post or two (yours or someone else’s). Or to find some new people to follow. Or to update your status with something cool and witty that will encourage others to check out your profile/blog/website. The possibilities are endless.

Rationalize your social media or subscriptions

Maybe it’s time to unfollow some social media people whose tweets/links/updates don’t really interest you. Or to unsubscribe from some newsletters/ezines that aren’t providing good value. If, like me, you started out on Twitter following lots of random people hoping they’d follow you back, use Friend or Follow to unfollow those who didn’t. Then start fresh. Only follow people you’re genuinely interested in from now on. Trust me, this will save many minutes (and hours) in future as you won’t be overwhelmed with a load of tweets on topics that you couldn’t care less about.

Download an ebook

There are some great free ones available. But even going through the checkout won’t take more than ten minutes, so consider investing in yourself. See the resources page for ideas.

Sign up for a course

Savvy Authors has some great ones at the moment. It won’t take you more than ten minutes to take a look at them. Then mull it over a bit, and if you decide you’re up for it, use your next spare ten minutes to sign up.

Read and comment

Check out your favorite blog. Read the newest post, or one from the archives. Leave a comment. Tweet the post. You’ll get some new knowledge and involvement in the online writing community, in less than ten minutes.

Watch a podcast

Save links to “ten minutes or less” podcasts when you come across them and dip into them next time you have a ten minute time chunk.

Read a newsletter

I subscribe to lots, but they’re a real productivity hole if you read them as they come in, making “just checking my emails” last an hour or more. Now I file them straight into a folder and return to it in my ten minute time chunks.

Join an online writing community (but not too many)

I’m currently a member of SheWrites, BlogHer and Savvy Authors. They’re all useful resources in their own way, but I’m sticking with that for now. Better to be in a few associations you’re active in than lots that you never have time to check in to.

Check out a forum

Another potential time waster, but you only have ten minutes so how can you waste more? Find a writing forum. If you’re not already active on one, there are some at the above mentioned sites.  Leave (or answer) a question. You’ll get answers to any questions you ask and maybe some new visitors to your blog or site if you answer one intelligently.

Exercise

Writers’ butt is an occupational hazard.  You’d be amazed how much difference a regular ten minute walk or stretch can make.

Find some guidelines

Look up some writers’ guidelines for websites or magazines you’d like to write for. (Use a markets database to find them quickly.) If you find a market you think you could write for save/bookmark it to a folder marked “writing markets”. Go back to it in your next ten minute time chunk and outline a possible submission.

Brainstorm

Make a list of possible titles for articles, short stories, blog posts or books.

What do you do when you only have ten minutes to spare? Let us know in the comments. (Writing related answers only please. We love to share – but not too much!)

If you’re a writer, accepting rejection is, as Walter Mosley puts it (in This Year You Write Your Novel), “part of the job description”.

Take some comfort from the company you’re in, and then read on for some tips on overcoming rejection.
 

Famous writers who had to overcome rejection:

 
George Orwell’s Animal Farm was reportedly rejected by a publisher who assured him:

 ‘It is impossible to sell animal stories in the USA.’

Apparently millions of members of the book buying public disagreed.

One of the publishers who rejected Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov recommended that it “be buried under a stone for a thousand years.” It sold over 50 million copies.

Crash by J G Ballard was once rejected by a publisher who added:

‘The author of this book is beyond psychiatric help.’

He was probably able to afford all the psychiatric help he needed with the proceeds of his 25 million book sales.

Lord of the Flies by William Golding was rejected 20 times, once by a publisher who assured him his story was:

‘An absurd and uninteresting fantasy which was rubbish and dull.’

15 million book buyers clearly disagreed.

John Grisham’s A Time to Kill was rejected by 16 publishers. His books have since sold over 250 million copies and he’s one of only three authors with a book that has sold over 2 million copies on a first printing.

Another one of those elite three is J K Rowling. The first book in the Harry Potter series was rejected 12 times, and we all know how that turned out (450 million copies and counting).

Richard Bach’s Jonathan Livingston Seagull was rejected 18 times before being published and selling 40 million copies.

Robert Pirsig’s Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance faced an amazing 121 rejections. (The Guinness Book of Records lists it as the most rejected bestseller ever, so you’ll have to submit yours at least 122 times if you want to beat that particular record).

Madeline L’Engle’s A Wrinkle in Time faced 26 rejections before winning the Newberry Medal and selling over 8 million copies.

Anne Frank’s diary had 15 rejections, before selling 30 million copies.

Personally, I plan to follow the example of E.E. Cummings, who named the 14 publishers who rejected No Thanks in the book itself.

For more funny rejection letters see Andre Bernard’s book Rotten Rejections: The Letters that Publishers Wish They’d Never Sent. 

In the meantime what do you do if you’re facing your own rejection nightmares, whether it’s with your book, articles or short stories?

Overcoming rejection:
Keep submitting

J K Rowling could easily have stopped at 11, or Robert Pirsing at 120.

Understand the process

You see it as a rejection. The publisher or editor is actually hand picking a few perfect books, stories or articles. It’s not necessarily that your writing is bad or even mediocre. I might be very good. But it isn’t a perfect fit for their publishing list right now, or for that issue of the magazine.

Recognize that rejection is subjective

Just as you prefer one book or article over another (often based as much on your interests and personal preferences as the quality of the writing) so does the publisher/editor. This doesn’t mean you should ignore any comments or advice you’re offered. But you should know that just because one gatekeeper rejects your work doesn’t mean another one won’t love it.

Minimize your chances of rejection

You will get rejections. Make sure it’s not for a silly reason like not having read the writers’ guidelines properly, or for having submitted fiction to a publishing house that only accepts non-fiction (it happens).

Cultivate regular jobs

If you’re already on contract to produce X number of articles each month, and know you’ll receive $X for them, rejections won’t panic you. If you’re getting short stories published regularly it will encourage you to keep submitting your novel.

Consider self-publishing

There’s no need for anyone to remain unpublished these days. Technology has made self-publishing a relatively easy option, but it’s not for everyone. Only self-publish if you’ve already built a platform, and you’re prepared to market and sell your book. So consider the option of self-publishing – but be prepared to reject it.

Be aware that even published authors get rejected

In This Year You Write Your Novel, Walter Mosley confesses:

“At this moment in my career, after publishing twenty-seven books and at least as many short stories, I still get rejected on a regular basis. Recently I wrote a story that every major magazine rejected. After going to the major presses, I went to the smaller ones. Nobody with publish it – nobody.”

There does eventually come a point when you’re so famous that anything you write will get published. Unfortunately that applies whether you’re an uber famous author or a reality TV star/footballer’s wife – but that’s a subject for a whole other blog post.

How do you deal with rejection? Feel free to share in the comments.

This is the first in what I’m planning to be a regular series of “best writing tips” posts. I see so much good writing advice as I cruise through cyberspace, and I try to share it via Twitter, Facebook and Stumbleupon  (which is about as much social media as I can manage).

Now I’ve decided to save the links as I go along and do a monthly round-up post for readers who miss my social media shout-outs. Some of the best writing tips I’ve found (and tried to implement) this month:

 (Note: These are posts I’ve found this month. Many of them are new this month. Some aren’t. If I find a long-forgotten gem buried in the archives while browsing a site, I’ll be sharing that too.)

How to Finish What You Start: A Five Step Plan For Writers, a guest post by Ali Luke at Write To Done.

Great tips for those of us overwhelmed with trying to juggle several unfinished writing projects.

Connecting With Editors on Social Media, from The Renegade Writer.

Everything you need to know about the social etiquette of connecting with editors and publishers via social media, including the opinions of some editors who connect with writers on social media.

How Freelance Writers Can Earn More With a Red Velvet Rope, from Make a Living Writing.

How to move on from low paying jobs that sap your energy, burn you out and leave you little time to find better paying assignments.

How To Write for Major Magazines by guest columnist Melissa Walker for About.com.

A natural supplement to the above post, this one offers specific advice on breaking into those high paying glossy magazine markets.

Are You Sure Your Query Is Ready? by Gary McLaren at Worldwide Freelance.

Another natural progression from the above articles. If you’ve decided to go for the majors, got your pitch right and written a query, here are some good tips for checking that query letter is really ready to land on the editor’s desk (and land you the assignment).

 5 Things More Important Than Talent By Jane Friedman at Writer Unboxed.

Talent is important but talent alone won’t get you to where you need to be. Find out five of the qualities that will supplement your talent and boost your writing career.

I’m already trawling the web for next month’s great writing tips. And later this week I’ll be talking about rejection and how to deal with it (as a writer). If you want stay in touch, please subscribe to the newsletter or to RSS/email updates.

The National Association of International Writers and Editors (NAIWE) has invited writers to join the Summer Challenge, to keep us freelance writers motivated throughout the traditionally slow summer period.

I’m in. Check out the challenge here, and if you decide to join in consider letting me know via the comments on this post, and maybe we can all keep each other motivated.

Here’s what you have to do:

1. Read three books that will stretch your mind and inspire your creative spirit.

I’ve decided on:

This Year You Write Your Novel by Walter Mosley

I’ve been meaning to write a children’s mid-grade novel forever and had a few false starts. This is the year.

The One Minute Entrepreneur by Ken Blanchard, Don Hutson and Ethan Willis

I keep talking, and blogging, about how we should all treat our writing careers as a business. I’ve decided to put some time and effort into “Discovering My Entrepreneurial Strengths” (to paraphrase the cover of this book).

How to Succeed in Anything By Really Trying, by Lyman MacInnis

It just caught my eye on the library shelf. I’m a fan of hard work (and success). Who knows what tips I’ll pick up in here.

2. Finish one project that’s been nagging at you for longer than you care to admit.

I will be finishing my report “52 Tips For Freelance Writers”, and giving it away free to subscribers to this blog. I will, really. I promise.

3. Brainstorm a new project that will bring you an additional stream of income, then take the first step to make it happen.

This is where the novel comes in. (The extra stream of income will be my big fat royalty checks – an aspiring novelist can dream, right?) I will be brainstorming the project and starting to write it over the summer. I’m planning on signing up for a workshop with Savvy Authors to help keep me on track.

The Extra Mile:

I blogged recently about going the extra mile, so I’m not stopping there. I’m going to attempt to get my “13 in Play” as C Hope Clarke recommends. 13 articles, query letters, or other pieces of writing have to be out there looking for a publisher at any given time. If I get an acceptance, or a rejection, another piece has to go out.

With the above commitments, and my regular writing assignments, and this blog to write, and nothing in play right now, it’s a stretch. So I’m going to commit to just keep submitting until I reach my target, even if it takes all summer and beyond!

How I’m doing it:

It’s summer, I hear you say. The kids will be home. Are you sure this is wise? Here’s the deal. I’ve been homeschooling for a year now so my kids are always home! I predict that I may actually have a little more time over the summer. 

My plan includes relaxing formal schooling so I spend less time both teaching and creating lesson plans, and lots of time at the beach – perfect for reading, and free writing in my notebook, which always makes me feel more creative than writing on my laptop anyway (nobody wants sand in their laptop).

So, who’s joining me? If you think it might be the motivation you need, check out this post and follow the rest of the instructions (super simple – you just have to post the badge and leave a comment with your URL so that others who take the challenge can visit your blog or website).

I’ll be tweeting about the challenge as I go. You can follow me on Twitter here.

It’s never crowded along the extra mile.
- Wayne Dyer

What separates the great from the good, and sometimes the finished from the unfinished (and often the published from the unpublished, when it comes to writing) is the extra mile. That little bit extra you give when you’re already tired and ready to quit.

Most successful writers (and everyone else who has celebrated great success in life) went the extra mile. They sent out the manuscript to one more publisher, after it had been rejected 26 times. They wrote one more book, after the first two had been rejected. They did one more edit, when they actually wanted to punch the editor in the face.

Ways you can go the extra mile with your writing business:

Write that little bit more.

Write a little bit more than you think you can each day. Push yourself to write just 100 more words of your work in process, or at least outline just one more article or blog post. (When I’m burnt out from sitting at the computer I take my notebook somewhere peaceful and comfortable and just outline ideas. It doesn’t feel so much like work.)

Develop an “extra mile” submission strategy.

Submit more queries and manuscripts than you think you can. I like C Hope Clark’s idea of trying to keep “13 in play”. On her website Funds For Writers, she puts it like this:

“Two years ago I started “Keep 13 in Play” and have thanked my lucky stars for doing so ever since. You start a spread-sheet and list columns entitled Title, Publisher, Date Sent, Follow-up Date, Payment, and Notes. And I mail queries or complete manuscripts steadily until I have thirteen “in play.” When I receive a rejection or acceptance, the number reduces and I’m prompted to immediately submit another to maintain the magical ’13′. I made it an absolute necessity to keep the number at or over thirteen before doing anything else. The habit is a nice one to have.”

Respond to an email you don’t want or need to respond to.

I don’t mean a spammer or someone genuinely not worthy of your time and effort. Maybe a blog reader (or someone who reads your books, ebooks or articles) asked if you can help them with something, and you can’t. It’s easy to ignore, but there’s probably a reason she asked you. You know more than she does on the subject. Can you at least suggest where to start looking for the answer? Fire back a very quick and super friendly email pointing her in the right direction.

Edit proof, polish – every time.

There’s no excuse for sending out shoddy work or posting error filled work online. (Please don’t go through this entire blog looking for mistakes to prove I’m a hypocrite. I’ll save you time by promising there will be some. This is a list of things I aspire to do. Not a list of things I always do.)

Be responsive.

Just respond. To comments on your blog. To publishers or agents who want changes in your work. To editors who want to do that little bit extra (source some images, find a quote, promote this article after we publish it). You don’t have to do everything requested of you (we all need boundaries) but be responsive.

Help other writers.

You know that thing you responded to but genuinely don’t have time to get involved in? That’s fine. If you can’t do something say so politely and give a clear reason. “I’d love to take this on but don’t have time to do it justice right now.” is fine. “I know someone else who is willing to help.” is even better. Pass work you can’t handle on to other writers. Promote other writers on your blog through reviews and interviews. Offer help and advice when you can. What comes around goes around. Again and again.

I’m not suggesting that you push yourself with your writing to the point that you sacrifice your work/life balance. In fact “going the extra mile” can apply to your personal life as well, though that’s probably a different blog post – undoubtedly better handled by a by a different blogger.

If you’ve ever read The Greatness Guide by Robin Sharma (and I recommend you do) you may have noticed that Chapter Ten is called Leadership Begins on the Extra Mile. He makes a great point, very succinctly. (Like most chapters in this book this one is less than two pages long.) As Sharma says:

“Ordinary people don’t spend much time on the extra mile. But who ever said you were ordinary?”

Did you go the extra mile today? How? Please share in the comments.

Every freelance writer has the potential to slowly increase their earnings over time. Try this twelve step plan to move towards a higher, more consistent freelancing income.

Write more

Sounds simple doesn’t it? If you write more, you’ll earn more, but of course things are never as simple as they sound. In order to increase your productivity you have to set yourself writing goals and stick to them. A vague goal like ‘write more’ isn’t going to work for most people.

Look at what you’re doing already and aim for an achievable increase. Just 500 words extra each day could lead to a couple of decent articles each week, or a book in a few months time. One extra article a week, or an extra blog post, or a guest post once a month, can lead to big rewards.

Submit  more 

No matter how prolific you are, you won’t earn money if no-one buys your writing. When you finish a piece, edit, polish and submit. It’s OK to work on something else during the ‘cool off’ period between writing and editing, but don’t get distracted. Make sure everything you’ve written is out there looking for a buyer.

It’s particularly easy to let rejected articles or manuscripts gather dust while you move forward with new stuff. Don’t. Take a good look at them. Do any necessary editing and send them out again.

Mine your hard drive

What did you start writing and not finish? What did you finish and not submit? I’m not a hoarder by nature. In fact I’m a bit of a minimalist by most people’s standards, but I never throw any of my writing away. Every now and then I go through what I’ve already got, re-write or finish it (if necessary) and look for a market for it.

Repurpose your work

Do you have 100 blog posts you can adapt to turn them into an ebook? An ebook you can ‘break up’ to use as (promotional) guest posts. A blog post you can expand and turn into an article. A series of essays you can publish as a book?  Or perhaps you’ve sold first rights on a piece and can now re-sell it as a reprint.

There are endless possibilities for taking work you’ve already produced and making a little (or sometimes a lot) more money from it.

Reuse your research

We rarely use all the research we do on a topic in one article (it would probably read like a research manual if we did). I keep all the research for each article I write in a folder (physical or digital, sometimes both) and go back to it for ideas. You can often write a completely new piece for a different market from the same set of research notes.

Syndicate your work

Most editors want exclusive content for their magazine, website or newspaper, but there are a few exceptions. It’s possible to sell the same newspaper column, for example, to regional newspapers in different areas. There’s no overlap of readership so no need for the work to be exclusive.

For more information on writing (and marketing) syndicated newspaper columns, check out this website. They run a paid service to help potential columnists get into print, but there’s a lot of freely available background information on the site.

Build on your successes.

Every acceptance should generate another submission or query. If an editor liked one piece you wrote he will probably like the next. Get a query off straight away. If it’s accepted it will motivate you to start work on the new piece of work.

Know what rate you’re working for

It helps to know which jobs to prioritize, and which to turn down, if you know your going rate. Work out how much you will be paid per word. What does that translate to per hour? And how much time do you need for research.

If two articles pay the same and they’re both 1000 words it may seem that they both pay the same rate, but maybe one is an opinion piece you can write off the top of your head, and the other a factual article requiring a few hours of research and a couple of interviews.  The opinion piece pays a much better hourly rate. Factor in everything to make sure you don’t end up working for minimum wage or less.

Invest in yourself

I’m a huge fan of freebies, as anyone who visits this blog regularly knows. I also know that sometimes you have to spend money to make money. If you can take a course or buy an ebook that will give you a whole new (saleable) skill, it’s often worth considering.

Find higher paying markets

There are several writing databases where you can search markets according to how much they pay (high, medium or low). I recommend Writing For Dollars and Worldwide Freelance.

Monetize your blog or writer’s website.

Many people don’t want ads or affiliate links on their writing blogs or websites. Some people turn readers off with too many. My own thoughts are that if you can tread the middle line it makes sense to implement some subtle monetization strategies.

I’ve decided to include a few Google ads and some affiliate links to writing ebooks and courses my readers might like. If you’re looking for a good writers’ affiliate program to use on your blog I recommend  MyHelpHub.com - they have a variety of ebooks and writing courses your readers may be interested in and offer good support and regular payments.  If you’re making money from affiliate products I suggest a simple disclosure policy (here’s mine).

If you have a writer or author site that is purely to provide a biography and contact point, at least put a link to any published books so people can buy through your site.

Create passive income

Passive income can apply to anything you’ve done in the past that still generates income for you without you having to do any more work.

This could be royalties on books, ebook sales, income from a website, revenue share agreements or ‘stock’/re-use payments from sites you’ve previously written for.

Everyone loves the idea of passive income. Unfortunately most things that generate passive income require a lot of work initially, often for no pay. If you write a book or ebook, for example you may be enjoying money from sales and royallties for the rest of your life, but you do have to put the work in first. Think about splitting your writing time between projects that pay right now, and things that will bring in passive income in the future.

If you haven’t already downloaded your free copy of the ebook How To Make Even More Money From Your Writing you can do so here.

How have you increased your income since you started writing? Did any one strategy work best for you? Feel free to share tips in the comments section.