So I’m on the mend. I don’t ache any more and any fever is long gone. My nose is stuffy and I have a nasty cough that seems to be loosening up. I still, however, feel fuzzy this morning. Which means I don’t really have a good idea for “da d**n blog.”
So I’ll take the easy way out and present some oldie but goodies from way back when:

Getting Started in Freelance Writing with Community Newspapers
Reading Is So Much A Part Of Writing

After Rejection
When In Doubt, Just Start
Writing Clients Come and Go

Hmmmm, that’s five which is probably more than enough …read more

(www.thegoldenpencil.com)
An interview by Ross Dunn With Dr. Ralph Wilson, the Editor-in-Chief of Web Marketing Today. Dr. Wilson gets lots and lots of writing done and tells Ross how he does it. There’s information there any writer can use.

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.

A client recently asked if I could put more emotion into a piece of writing. The topic is a fairly dry one and he couldn’t give me any examples. That’s often the case. The client feels something is missing or not quite right with a piece of writing and literally can’t tell you how they’d like it to be – just that they want it “better.”
Chances are, if you read the piece in question when you’ve got some distance from it, you’ll realize you can make it better without too much effort. In this case, I opened with a fairly …read more

Hmmm. I thought the key phrase how to write would bring up a bunch of blogs that might fall under the rubric of getting the writing done. Not so. After 45 minutes of messing around, these three are the ones I found that make any sense at all.

ReadWriteWeb – not exactly about how to write, but lots of tech tips, many of which writers will find useful or interesting.
Writing to Done, professional writer Leo Babauta’s blog about writing. I like this one and have subscribed. And sometimes I think I understand the title
Keen To Write A Business Book? at Home …read more

Laura Spencer, who blogs at Business and Blogging, participated in b5media’s blogathon by posting a post every hour for 24 hours. That’s a whole bunch of posting any way you slice it.
She’s now written a blog entry called: How To Write A Lot Of Posts Quickly
Her tips 1, 2 and 4 would work in any writing situation. I particularly like picking a theme, which isn’t too different really, than creating a Purpose Statement, which is one of the drums I beat.
So… what are your favorite ways to write a bunch in a hurry. Tell us about it.
Write well and often,

Two …read more

In general, you’ll hear me tell writers they can’t wait for the muse (and yes, that sculpture is of muses and it’s on a theater in Russia) if you’re going to have a career in freelance writing. Successful freelancing requires some discipline. If you sit around, waiting for inspiration, chances are you’ll soon need to go get a regular job.
That said, it’s also true we need some spaciousness, some time, and a sense of willingness to allow for inspiration. It’s some sort of balance between being a drudge, never a good idea in my not so humble opinion on the …read more

I was surprised to read the title of a blog on Copyblogger called: Three Great Writing Techniques I Found While Watching Television. Surprised because I don’t even own a TV and when I do get to watch it end up congratulating myself for not participating in that wasteland.
None-the-less, guest writer Ryan Imel (who blogs at Theme Playground)spells out three writing techniques he swears he learned watching three different TV shows. He does a great job of showing how to apply these lessons. In fact, the lessons make sense to me even though I’m totally in the dark regarding the shows.
Write …read more

Someone reminded me today what it was like when I first started writing professionally. I remember the paralysis I felt staring at a blank piece of paper I’d rolled into the typewriter. (Yeah, I am that old, but the blank screen works just as well.)
Gradually, I came to believe the experts; if I’d just start to write, something would begin to work, usually several paragraphs down. I began to think of this initial, warming up paragraphs sort of like a bull pawing the ground before he charges.
Later, when I edited a magazine, I recognized how common these warm-up paragraphs were. …read more

Chris Garrett challenges copywriters to Check Yourself for These 7 Symptoms of the Copywriter’s Curse. Believe me, these symptoms are not restricted to copywriters – every freelance writer I’ve ever known has suffered from at least some of these at one time or another.
The nifty thing is Chris has some great suggestions about how to let those curses go. I particularly like his comments on perfectionism.
The way I let go of the drive for perfection was to realize I wouldn’t know perfect if it walked in the door and introduced itself! I have absolutely no evidence procedure to determine …read more

When I’m working on a long manuscript, I’m often all over it. That is, I’m as likely to work on Chapter 1 as Chapter 10. If I’m not careful, I get lost. The easiest way to mark a spot I know needs more work is with three Xs.
It’s easy to find these with a search. They are great when I put a manuscript away for a day or two, or even longer.
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 …read more