Writers: What Scares You the Most?

“The thing that is scaring you the most is exactly what you need to do.” I was listening to a podcast this morning—successful entrepreneurs James Schramko, Dean Hunt, and Peter Parks talking about what makes them tick. The question was raised: “What advice would you give to yourself if you could go back to when [...]

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Freelance Writers: A Caution About Content Farms

Grammar Ranter Drops by eHow.com If you’ve read my book Write Where the Money Is, you know I exhort caution when it comes to building up your clip file by submitting articles to blogs or so-called articles sites. I cite several reasons. Among them: Your submissions will almost certainly go through unedited. Ergo, your goofs [...]

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A Little Rant About the Secrets of Successful Freelance Writing

I just put a bunch of my best freelance-writing tips into a special report called 7 Stealth Secrets of Successful Freelance Writing. It’s free. Really. Just fill out that form over there to the right. Now, you could argue that there’s really no such thing as a “secret” when it comes to freelance writing for [...]

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Writers: Are You Reinventing Yourself?

Are you reinventing yourself? I am. So are a lot of my friends. The world is changing like crazy. It’s reinventing itself right in front of our eyes. And that’s good. If we go with it. If we fight it, it all seems nuts.

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Nonfiction Writing Versus Wishful Thinking

I wrote an ebook called Write Where the Money Is. If you haven’t purchased it yet, you really should. But I’ll give its plot away right now: The money is in nonfiction writing. I’m saying this as a guy who loves poetry, fiction, drama, and film. If you have fire in your belly for writing [...]

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Bad Lede = Bad Story

I know a good lead when I see one. So do you. How do we know a lede is good? We keep reading. (“Lede,” by the way, is journalismspeak so you don’t confuse the opening of a story with the stuff of sinkers and bullets. Either is fine, but I’ll stick with the lingo here.) [...]

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What the Golden Globes Taught Writers About How Not to Write a Query Letter

I watched some of the Golden Globes the other night. Good thing the honorees weren’t trying to get writing assignments. Have you ever seen so many displays of BS? Such unbridled pretentiousness? I admire actors. When they’re acting. When they’re acting well. What they do is amazing. But when they can’t stop acting, when they [...]

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Why I’m Attending John Carlton’s Action 2010

I’ve been to my share of writers conferences. They can be good for getting a recharge, gaining inspiration, or for commiserating with my brethren. Rarely, though, do I come away feeling like what I gained will directly repay the cost of attending. And that’s okay. I go for less-measurable reasons. But I’m planning to attend [...]

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Thinking About Writing an Ebook? Why Not?

I’ve just created a new website that I think you’ll be interested in. It’s called EBook Secrets Rated: www.ebooksecretsrated.com. In it I’ve reviewed what I think are the three best books on the market about writing and marketing an ebook. If you haven’t considered writing an ebook, you should. Ebooks can be hugely profitable for [...]

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Time Management for Freelancers: A Blessedly Short Course

How do I fit 25 hours into a 24-hour day? Selena Templeton asked me that, essentially, in a recent comment. I’m no paragon, but I’ve been freelancing successfully for nearly three decades. I’ve developed some approaches that I know work. Initially, they were survival mechanisms. Now I truly enjoy them. Above all else, rid yourself [...]

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