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The Latest Articles from the
FFW Newsletters...
NOTE: Articles published in
TOTAL FundsforWriters are not listed on the website to respect paid
subscribers. Another reason to subscribe!
How to
Find Time for Writing When Your Plate is Full - By Christine Hucko -
When Julia Cameron wrote the book, The Right to Write, she knew that
most writers were hungering for the same thing: more time. But do we
really need long stretches of “me time” to complete projects and reach
our short- and long-term writing goals? Julie Cameron, for one, doesn’t
think so.
Explore the Business of Grant Proposal Writing - By Gail R. Shapiro,
Ed.M, and Carla C. Cataldo, M.P.P. - Many professional writers are
asked to help charities write proposals for grants. How do you get
started as a professional proposal writer?
Don't
Just Be a Writer - By Renee Roberson - As I recently scanned the
spreadsheet I use to keep track of my
monthly writing assignments, I made an interesting observation regarding
the different types of work that have come my way in the past year.
Eight Ways to Conduct Interviews That Resonate With Readers - By
Jennifer Brown Banks - Pick up any consumer magazine or trade
publication and it’s highly likely you’ll hit upon an interview or two.
Breaking
Down Your Barriers - by Cynthia MacGregor - I find myself
frequently pushing my “envelope,” breaking down my barriers. Much of
this happens for economic reasons: A chance to make money comes along
and involves a type of writing I’ve not tried before. Sometimes it
occurs just because I like to challenge myself.
Feast,
Not Famine: Re-evaluating Your Day Job - by Laura Roberts -
"Don't quit your day job" is usually meant as an insult, directed at
writers who are too inexperienced to take the leap into freelancing. But
what if this tired phrase were actually the key to new opportunity?
How
to Become a Favorite Freelancer - By Michelle Mach - I hated
writing query letters when I worked a full-time day job. It wasn't until
I became a full-time freelancer that I discovered a great way to avoid
the formal letter: become a favorite freelancer and editors will come to
you for assignments (or at least accept queries that are more casual and
quicker to write).
How Else Can I
Make Money as a Children’s Writer? - By Margo L. Dill - If you
are a children’s writer and focused on children’s magazines and
traditional publishers, then you might be feeling frustrated. To keep
your career alive, you can find ways to earn multiple streams of income.
So, what else can you do to advance your children’s writing career
besides submitting to children’s magazines and traditional publishing
companies?
How
to Survive the “Screening Out” Process to Get Published and Paid -
By: Jennifer Brown Banks - Many naïve freelancers believe that
because editors need ongoing content for the success and growth of their
publications, that it is simply a situation of supply and demand. That
as long as they produce quality pieces, they will get paid regularly and
be able to support themselves. Not quite. Not now.
Singing
a Book’s Praises with Back Cover Copy - By Rachel Carrington
- More and more authors are choosing to self-publish, but along with the
independence they gain, they lose a valuable asset—a publishing
company's marketing department. Those are the folks who usually create
one of the most important selling tools in the industry—the back cover
copy or the blurb, if you will.
A
Lamb to the Slaughter - By Erika Hoffman - I reminisce about my
first writer’s conference and the contained excitement I felt sitting
down to have the first chapter of my manuscript critiqued by an
authentic editor. She pulled my sheets off her tipping, lopsided,
toppling stack. A massacre had taken place on the first page. It was
dripping blood red ink.
Inside the
Jury - Judging a Grant Competition - By Elizabeth Creith - I
served as one of four jurors on a granting
jury for the Ontario Arts Council. We read the entries ahead of time,
scoring them yes, no, and maybe for funding. Out of 150 entries, we
funded seventeen. Along the way I learned what it takes to get into that
top ten percent.
The
Voice Behind the Experts - By Cynthia MacGregor - Have you
noticed—people look at you differently when you’ve had a book published.
Suddenly you’re “Somebody.” That’s true not only of authors but also of
people in other walks of life. With a published book to her or his
credit, he/she gets more respect, more attention…and more clients. Most
of these professionals, trades people, and business people who could
benefit from publishing a book know their craft or
business but aren’t much good at writing.
Write
On(Line): Online Writing Courses through Colleges and Universities -
By Donna R. Dolan - The only thing more flexible than online writing
courses is free, online writing courses. The web site lists free,
online, non-credit courses available from universities. The courses
range from fiction through poetry to technical writing.
Getting
a Fulbright Fellowship in Creative Writing - By Tony Kellam - In
this most harrowing of economic times, perhaps the moment is right for
you to apply for a “student at large” Fulbright Fellowship. You don’t
have to be in school, and it’s better that you aren’t.
Writing
on Faith - By Elisabeth Deffner - Writing for faith-based
publication often requires more than an outstanding resume. While not
every editor requires his freelancers to be card-carrying members of his
own congregation, first-hand experience in that particular faith
community is certainly a plus.
How to Evaluate
a Good Blog Gig and Earn What You Deserve (5 Key issues to consider)
- By Jennifer Brown Banks - Last year, when I landed a blog gig that
boasted 100 bucks monthly for 300-word posts, I was tickled pink. Easy
money I thought to myself. But my joy was short lived. Not long after
accepting this job, I realized that not all blogging gigs are created
equally.
Making
a Living Online as a Copywriter - by Kristine M Smith - At the
end of 2008, after a year of experience as a full-time copywriter at a
brick-and-mortar firm, I decided to hang my shingle online. I was no
slouch as a wordsmith. But putting myself out there was daunting.
A
Satchel Full of Songs - By Micki Fuhrman Milom - Creative
writing comes in countless forms and that’s part of what makes writing
for a living so much fun. If you happen to be a writer with musical
talent as well, you may have a secret stash of songs you’re not sure how
to market.
The
Dramatists Guild vs. The Writers Guild - By Jeffrey Sweet -
Though they both have the word “Guild” in their names, the Writers Guild
of America and the Dramatists Guild are very different animals. The
contracts for writers in film and TV and contracts for the theatre don’t
resemble each other much.
A
Cover Story - By Susan Krupp -
Three months ago, Gerald A. Servais, an
author from Edmonton, Alberta contracted me to design two covers for
books close to publication. I agreed. I'm a visual artist.
Back To Basics:
Good Old Querying Vs Craigslist - By Christine Cristiano - Over
the past year, I have become a victim of writing jobs posted on
Craigslist.org.
SILENT
PARTNER: The Secret Life of Ghostwriters - By Christina Hamlett
- Can invisibility translate to a lucrative publishing career? For over
70 years, the Stratemeyer Syndicate proved that to be true with “Carolyn
Keene” – an invention as fictional as her popular heroine, Nancy Drew,
and one wherein multiple authors were paid to be anonymous.
Writing
Markets for Illnesses - By Valerie Benko - I have multiple
sclerosis. I know what it’s like to wake up in the morning and not feel
the floor beneath my feet. I know how difficult simple tasks can
sometimes be. I’m all too familiar with the painful diagnosis process. I
may not hold a medical degree, but I can write from a patient’s
perspective about life with the disease, and my doctors can be my
“expert” sources.
Blogging
for Money: The Most Certain Way to Profit by Writing Blogs- By Diana
Schneidman - The most certain way to profit from blogging is to sell
your freelancing writing services to a business, professional or
association blog.
Land
a Newspaper Column & Keep It Going - By Christina Lorenzen -
There is nothing like newspaper writing to teach a writer to write tight
and meet deadlines. Another benefit is the steady income in a business
where payment often takes months to arrive.
Part 2:
YOUR ONLINE HOME: Why an Author Needs an Impressive Website - By
Shaila Abdullah - This is the second half of the article on the
elements of a robust author site.
Part 1: YOUR
ONLINE HOME: Why an Author Needs an Impressive Website - By Shaila
Abdullah - When we prepare to attend our book signings or speaking
events, we dress to impress. We enter in style and dazzle the audience.
It is our moment, and we consider it our personal commitment to deliver
our best. Yet, when it comes to websites, many of us choose DIY
templates or hire nonprofessional relatives to create mediocre sites.
Income
from Outsourcing - By Chris Mac - Within the past year I have
discovered an active need for writing in outsourcing communities.
Monetary concerns are causing companies to outsource at unprecedented
rates. As freelancers and independent contractors, opportunities to
contribute abound.
Writing
White Papers to Make Some Green - By Elizabeth Creith - We're
all looking for a way to pay the bills without selling our souls. White
papers are one of the best-paid forms of corporate writing, with
experienced white paper writers earning $5,000 to $7,000 per paper.
Exploring
New Markets in Children’s Writing - By Christine Dixon - Many
writers trying to break into writing for children focus on fiction. This
is such a highly competitive market, even for published and agented
writers. But what many writers may not have considered is the nonfiction
market for children.
The
Skinny on Writer’s Colonies - By Alexis Grant - It sounds like a
dream: a quiet place of your own where you can write without
distractions. But these magical hideaways do exist, and they’re
available to writers like you and me.
Six Ways to
Reconnect with Your Freelance Network - By Susan Johnston -
Although cold emails or phone calls sometimes yield results, you'll
often reap a higher return on investment by contacting clients you've
worked with in the past or chatting with others in your industry who may
be able to give referrals.
Don’t
Knock the Local Market, Tap Into It! - By Kelli Robinson - How
many of you have sat in a doctor’s office perusing the magazines and
concluded you could write the articles you were reading?
More
articles...
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You won't be able to quit work and write, but you
might find a grant to make your writing goals easier to reach. We
specialize in serious contests, too. Only those that pay in cold
hard cash. No pay-per-click, $1 per blog or exposure markets either.
Hope Clark writes for a living. If she wouldn't try these opportunities,
she doesn't post them. Our newsletters are our world. Free or
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