Hints for Freelance Writers
Let me get one thing straight – I have no plans to become a journalist.
But – I could be tempted to become a freelance writer. It’s a subtle difference, I know. I prefer fiction, poetry, writing for children and so, in one sense, I am something of a freelancer anyway. And now I’m into blogging in a big way, I probably qualify to be called a freelancer. I prefer the term writer; it covers every form of writing.
I recently read an interesting article about freelance writing. It had many useful hints for those starting out on the road towards being a freelance writer. The article is actually an excerpt from a new, about to be published, book called Get A Freelance Life by Margit Feury Ragland.
The article in question is an excerpt from chapter 2:
“Invest in Yourself: The bare necessities for a Successful Freelancer.”
Read the chapter by clicking here.
Publishing trends
It is fair to say that the publishing world is changing fast. Traditional forms of publication are disappearing and new forms are constantly being developed. In all this hype and change and hoopla the struggling writer can be left floundering in the backwash. What to do?
Most aspiring writers have always looked to the print media for publication. This has not changed all that much, of course. The discerning writer, however, realises that with all the changes occuring in the publishing world, the writer needs to change too. This brings me to an on-line article I recently read. The author suggests that writers shouldn’t bother submitting to print media and go to on-line media instead.
Read this interesting article for yourself:
Don’t Bother Writing for Print: Why you can make an easier living on-line by David S. Hirschman.
Review of WordPress
Sheila Ann Manuel Coggins has written a new review of the very popular blogging platform WordPress. I use this program for all of my blogs (see the archives section for my other blogs) and I find it very easy to use. Mind you, all the setting up and administration is done by my very technically competent son (see the Rhyme of Sim).
Having said that, from a purely technically-challenged user point of view I find WordPress very easy to use. One can add new posts very easily, the editing is also very easy and the result looks very clean and easy to read.
Sheila gives it a big wrap, saying that “it is definitely a highly recommended software for anyone who wants a powerful stand-alone and professional-looking weblog platform.”
Sheila has given it one of her rare 5-star ratings. That’s very high praise coming from her. To read her review click here.
New Links
No Comments »3rd May, 2006; Category: General
I’ve just added quite a few links to some of my favourite sites, mainly here in Australia. They are in two main categories:
- Writing sites and organisations
- Bookshops
Just go to the Links section on the right.
Blooks and Blogs
From time to time one comes across a word one has never seen or heard before. Blog and blogging are such words to many people – especially those who spend very little or no time on the internet (yes- there are still such creatures in the world).
Today I came across a completely new word for me: blooks. I was reading the current newsletter of the South Australian Writers’ Centre which came in the mail today. The article was called “Blooks and Blogs” and the writer analysed some of the advantages of blogging, especially in relation to writers.
Blooks
Included in the text was a reference to and an explanation of a ‘blook’. It seems that a blook is a regular book that has been born from a blog. Now that is an interesting trend. Many blogs I have attempted to read in the last few weeks are just utter garbage. Personal rantings and puerile ravings.
Contrasted with these are the many beautifully written blogs one returns to frequently, for they are a sheer delight to read. Some have beautiful photos as well. To make the leap from blog to book is a huge step for a publisher – not to mention the delight for the author – and now it has been done this could become the way of the future. Or at least one way to publication in its traditional sense.
The ‘Blooker Prize’
The article mentions the inaugural winner of the ‘Blooker Prize’. This was won by an American author whose series of blog articles have now been published in traditional book format. Her articles detailed her attempts to cook all 524 recipes in Julia Child’s 1961 cookbook Mastering the Art of French Cooking.
To visit the South Australian Writers’ Centre click here.