UPDATE: You can no longer sign up just by leaving a comment. I had to change my newsletter service plan due to the number of people that signed up, and I can’t import names anymore. Sorry! Signing up is still really, really simple, though. Just follow THIS LINK, enter you email address, and confirm your subscription. Feel free to still leave a comment here to tell me that you signed up!

This has been in the making for quiet some time now, and I’m happy to announce a brand new newsletter for freelance writers, written by yours truly!

Called One Prompt, One Product, this newsletter is geared toward people who write online for a living. As the name implies, every email-newsletter will have one writing prompt and one product (or website or service) recommendation.

These aren’t your typical writing prompts, though. I think prompts like “write a paragraph about your most embarrassing moment” or “write a letter to your childhood imaginary friend” can be great for getting the juices flowing, but they aren’t a very practical use of you time in many cases. At least, that’s been my experience. The writing prompts I’ll include are all geared toward writing articles your can later sell, use for your portfolio, or post on your own blog/website.

Example prompt:

Earth day is quickly approaching, and going green is a subject that many clients are embracing. In whatever subject matter you’re a professional, research and write an article about ways to go green or a company that is going green. For example, here’s how someone who writes about golf tackled the topic, which is very different than this environmental-inspired article written by someone who covers video game news.

Products covered will include freelancing websites, books/ebooks, office supplies, electronics and gadgets, services for freelancers, and more! Sometimes, I’ll even be giving away the product, so you’ll have a change to randomly win cool stuff just by being signed up for the newsletter.

The newsletter will come to your inbox every Friday, so you can work on your “assignment” for the weekend or save it for sometime the following week. You’ll never get any other emails or spam by signing up for this newsletter, and you can unsubscribe at any time just by emailing me.

The first email goes out on MAY 1, 2009, so to ensure that you don’t miss a single issue, I’m opening up sign-ups now.

What are you waiting for - Sign up!

All you have to do to sign up is leave a comment below. Be sure to use a valid email address! Please read the update above!

As the Easter approaches, it’s time to think of those tired, overworked writers on your Easter gift list. Whether you have more money than time or vice versa, here are my ideas for gifts for freelance writers:

1. Visit their blog or Web site. As much as I cajole and beg, my family and off-line friends never seem to make it over to visit any of the sites for which I write. Remember: visiting is free and often your friend or family member makes more money the more often your visit. Better yet: leave a comment or submit one of their better blogs to StumbleUpon, Digg, or other social networking site.

2. Healthy snacks. Full-time writers are notorious (myself included) for either not taking time to eat or grabbing the first thing that’s at hand. Get your favorite blogger some hummus and vegetable chips or organic peanut butter or better yet, something homemade and healthy.

3. Offer to write a guest article or blog post. If you’ve been writing for some time, you know that some days you just can’t think of a fresh and/or interesting topic for your blog or Web site. Offer to write a post or two for your writing friend. It’s always nice to have a different voice on the blog or site occasionally.

4. Reference books. No writer can be without them. My favorites are a standard Merriam-Webster dictionary, Roget’s Thesaurus, Chicago Manuel of Style, and “The Elements of Style” by Strunk and White.

5. A roller ball mouse. My 85-year-old aunt (who is very computer literate) turned me on to this one. It feels really weird for the first five minutes, then you’ll fall in love. No moving the mouse around, no mouse pad, and precision-like movements. I like the Logitech one.

(photo credit: istockphoto)

Not exactly my kind of stuff, but I suspect some of fiction writers will love this. Enjoy!

Write well and often,

Two newsletters:
Abundant Freelance Writing - a resource for freelance writers including 3x a week job postings.
Writing With Vision - for those who want to get a book written.

(www.thegoldenpencil.com)

Seth Godin has a wonderful post called Is effort a myth?. (Thanks to Your Book Publishing Coach for the pointer.)

It’s a wonderful and helpful essay, complete with the suggestion to find 120 minutes each day and commit to something positive. He lists a number of things that can be done with that time, plus makes some other suggestions I like.

If I had to choose just one it would be: Only spend money, for one year, on things you absolutely need to get by. Save the rest, relentlessly. In fact, I’m going to do that and so commit to you, and myself of course.

And in the writing vein, in addition to this blog and some other stuff, today I will get the back-of-jacket copy written for my book about writing books.

What will you commit to today publicly?

Write well and often,

Two newsletters:
Abundant Freelance Writing - a resource for freelance writers including 3x a week job postings.
Writing With Vision - for those who want to get a book written.

Image from http://www.sxc.hu

My buddy, Kristen King, who writes BizChicksRule asked if I’d remind you about the Copywriting Success Summit 2008.

If you want to become a copywriter you should seriously consider attending this. I’m tempted even though I’m not particularly interested in it.

Write well and often,

Two newsletters:
Abundant Freelance Writing - a resource for freelance writers including 3x a week job postings.
Writing With Vision - for those who want to get a book written.

Image from http://www.sxc.hu

(www.thegoldenpencil.com)

This picture is how part of me feels this morning at 5:45 on this Saturday morning. I was going to link to an article on one of my websites and went to look it over… all my sites are down, and it’s not because I haven’t paid my bill.

I called customer service and was told “a server is down.” I hadn’t known where on the planet my websites are served from and it turns out to be Kansas. I asked for that information so I could estimate how long my sites are down. I may ask for a credit.

In truth, this is the first time this has ever happened to me with my own sites. Oh, I’m sure they’ve been down when I haven’t known it, but apparently never for very long. Hopefully this won’t be long either.

Write well and often, (and, duh, the sig jpg won’t work either ’cause it’s served from… yep, Kansas!)

Two newsletters:
Abundant Freelance Writing - a resource for freelance writers including 3x a week job postings.
Writing With Vision - for those who want to get a book written.

Image from http://www.sxc.hu

Friend and fellow writer, Lori Widmer commented that she’s had to revise her estimated quarterly taxes upward. That’s great news.

I don’t know about you, but I find the whole world of taxes utterly confusing. Used to scare me, truth be known. Kelly Phillips Erb to the rescue, now at www.taxgirl.com. You won’t notice much difference, but she’s on her own now. So change your feeds and make sure you keep up with what you need to know by subscribing.

Write well and often,

Two newsletters:
Abundant Freelance Writing - a resource for freelance writers including 3x a week job postings.
Writing With Vision - for those who want to get a book written.

Image from http://www.sxc.h

When I didn’t make Michael Stelzner’s list of Top Ten Blogs For Writers, I posted twice about it. Michael himself suggested it would be a gift, and he’s right. What I also didn’t expect was the support I’ve gotten from readers of this blog. Some in comments, some via email, and at least two blog posts.

For example, Lori Widmer, long-term writing friend I’ve never met devoted her post today to mostly me (ah ego) called: They’re Just Not That Into You

Thanks you all for your good thoughts. It’s appreciated.

Write well and often,

Two newsletters:
Abundant Freelance Writing - a resource for freelance writers including 3x a week job postings.
Writing With Vision - for those who want to get a book written.

Image from http://www.sxc.hu

Yesterday I moaned that I hadn’t made Michael Stelzner’s list of Top Ten Blogs For Writers.

Here’s, as has been said by others, is the rest of the story:

1. I was surprised - after all, I had won two years in a row.
2. I was surprised at how disappointed I felt.
3. Within the hour of finding out and posting I also talked briefly about it with a friend.
4. By lunch time I’d forgotten all about it.

Obviously I haven’t totally forgotten about it. The point is I let it go pretty quickly. I have a short plan to take a closer look at the top ten and see what I can learn. I’ve emailed a couple of folks asking what they think. If I can move back into the winnings next year without going crazy I’ll do it. If I don’t, I can always claim I won the first two years.

In other words my writing life, my view of myself as a successful writer and blogger does not depend on any single person’s thinking. In fact, as Terry Cole-Whitaker said, and wrote a whole book about, “What You Think Of Me Is None Of My Business.”

Which isn’t to say there isn’t something to learn from rejection. There is. Exactly what depends on the situation. But to be stuck in a failure or a rejection, to spend more than an hour or less on it is self-indulgence. Go ahead, feel the feelings; pound the metaphorical wall; talk with a friend and move on to more writing, more life and more joy.

You might want to read: After Rejection - The Next Step in Freelance Writing

Write well and often,

Two newsletters:
Abundant Freelance Writing - a resource for freelance writers including 3x a week job postings.
Writing With Vision - for those who want to get a book written.

Image from http://www.sxc.hu

(www.thegoldenpencil.com)

Hello Anne,

How do I go about doing that all-important resume when I am brand-new to free-lance writing?

thanks,
V.

Dear V.

Having a writing resume or credit list isn’t the only way to break into freelance writing (and there’s no dash in the word, and brand new shouldn’t be hyphenated… I’m assuming you’re in the US - if not, I apologize.)

You need to do what we used to do and many still do and that’s do some work on spec. Usually this is writing for magazines. You query a magazine editor with an idea and if it’s accepted it will probably be on spec. That means there’s no guarantee they will accept it. But you do have the editor’s ear and attention. When you send the article in you simply say in your cover letter something like “here’s the article you asked me to do on spec.”

Be sure to enclose an SASE and keep your fingers crossed.

Once you have several articles accepted you’ve got enough for your credit list.

Writing on spec isn’t limited to magazine articles. Although Peter Bowerman might not agree, you can do a short corporate writing gig or two on spec too.

Does this make sense?

Do you have a question about freelance writing? Ask Anne, The Writing Pro - that’s me ;) Ask in the comments or send an email and put Q&A in the subject line so I can sort it out from spam and I’ll do my best. Meanwhile, you’ll find some Q&A’s here:

Ask Anne, The Pro Writer

Write well and often,

Two newsletters:
Abundant Freelance Writing - a resource for freelance writers including 3x a week job postings.
Writing With Vision - for those who want to get a book written.

Image from http://www.sxc.hu