Writer Resources: The Virtual Water Cooler

• As a freelance writer, sometimes working alone can, well, get a little lonely. Fortunately, I like a little solitude--or a lot on some days--but there's generally a time or two during the day when I wish that there were "co-workers" to talk to (especially when I need a little break from deadlines, querying and LOIs--Letters of Introduction). Well, fortunately, for me (and you) there are plenty of virtual "water coolers" to visit. A few of my favorites include:
  
  Facebook - Usually once or twice a day, I visit Facebook to see what friends, family and fellow writers are up to. Though I try not to spend too much time on the site, it's easy to get sucked in if you're not careful. Put a time limit on yourself, and practice using the site for a little business as well as pleasure. This might include posting links to articles you've written or articles from others that you like.
  
  Twitter - I'm not much of a Twitterer yet, and I'm not sure that I will be. I don't quite get it. I do check in on the site often, and Tweet a bit here and there, but I haven't quite gotten the concept down of why I "should" be there--and why people decide to follow me. If you're curious about what other writers have to say about Twitter, there's plenty of information out there. Just google "Writers who Twitter" and you'll get more info than you need.
  
  Freelance Success - This is a "water cooler" that I pay money to visit. It costs $99 per year, but I have personally garnered so much information about writing and freelancing there, that it's well worth the price of admission--not to mention the money that I've made as a freelancer by using the advice posted there!
  
  Various Blogs - Probably my favorite form of finding out what's on the mind of other writers is through the various blogs that I read. Though I read other types of blogs, too, some of my favorite writing blogs include:
  
  Ask Allison
  
  Editor Unleashed
  
  The Urban Muse
  
  Men with Pens
  
  Erik Sherman's WriterBiz
  
  The Writer Mama Riffs
  
  Michael Stelzner's Writing White Papers
  
  Remarkablogger
  
  The Copywriter Underground
  
  Serenity for the Self-Employed
  
  
  What virtual "water coolers" do you like to visit? Are they a help or hindrance? Do they make you feel connected to other writers?
  

Writer Resources: Where to Look for Freelance Writing Jobs

Most new writers don't like to market themselves and most aren't very consistent at job hunting, which is a shame. Marketing and job hunting--both necessary activities for becoming a successful writer--are best done on a regular basis, EVEN when you're busy. No, especially when you're busy!

It's too easy to put off your marketing strategies when you have projects at hand and deadlines looming. The problem is, though, if you don't keep up with the marketing and job hunting, you'll find yourself--at the end of your projects--without anything to do. Then you panic!

Been there, done that, but have learned my lesson.

My strategy, today, is to spend every Monday marketing, job hunting, sending out LOIs (Letters of Introduction) and submitting queries. I spend the whole day doing these activities, and for the most part, they've helped to keep the assignments rolling in.

Here is a list of resources for job hunting, submitting queries and sending out LOIs:

Craigslist...Some crappy jobs here, but some good ones too.

Freelance Writing Jobs for Web and Print...This is a blog with good info and job postings from different job boards.

ProBlogger... This is a blogging job board.

mediabistro.com...Lots of info here, plus jobs. Lots of free stuff, but if you want full access, pay for membership.

Freelance Writing Jobs...Lots of great info here too.

Writer's Market...I use this resource online, though you can buy a hard copy in the book store. This is a good tool for finding trade magazines to send LOIs to and for finding magazines that you can pitch article ideas to.

What are some of your favorite resources for finding work?

Words can be ugly or pretty according to survey

As writers, we know that words can elicite all types of emotion, but did you know that words could be ugly or pretty? According to Robert E. Wolverton Sr., a Mississippi State University classics professor, they can.

You can read the whole Newswise article here.

Writer Resources: Where to Find Sources for your Articles

Whether you're researching a query or writing an assigned article, you always need sources. And whether you need expert sources or "everyday people", there are a few good places to find them.

My favorite is HARO (Help a Reporter Out) compiled by Peter Shankman. I've used HARO on several occassions and have never been disappointed.

Another good place to find them, according to Susan Johnston, is Gorkana. She talks about them in this month's newsletter, The Urban Museletter. She says:

I discovered Gorkana and immediately signed up. It looks a little like HARO or Profnet in that you can submit requests for sources, but Gorkana also lists journalism jobs and personnel updates (as in who's moving around the masthead or freelancing) in their daily email alert.

Another resource that I've yet to use is ProfNet. I hear that it can be a good source of sources, as well.

Where do you find your sources? Share them in the comments!

Best Books for Writers

Maria Schneider at Editor Unleashed created a top-ten list of the Best Books for Writers. Check it out here.

I've read/own some of these, but there are certainly others on the list that I want to check out. For example,I've never read Stephen King's On Writing but I've always wanted to--and will (one of these days soon).

I have read Bird by Bird from Anne Lamott and absolutely loved it! I blogged about it here.

What are your favorite books for writers? Tell me about them in the comments.

Christina Katz: Writers on the Rise Blog & Newsletter

As I stated in the last post, when I find a book, blog, article, newsletter, or whatever that I particularly like from another writer, I like to share it. Today, I received my monthly edition of "Writers on the Rise" newsletter from Christina Katz, and I realized that it's a resource that I should share.

Really, there's something in it for everyone!

You can read the blog here and sign up for the newsletter on the link up in the right-hand corner.

I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

What other blogs, websites or newsletters do you enjoy? Post your thoughts in the comments.

Writer's Blogs that I Love

Today, I thought I'd share some of my favorite blogs. Most are ones that I've been using since I started freelance writing, and they've been a tremendous help to me, and others I've started reading as I've progressed in my writing career. All are packed with great information, and the writers are terrific people.

• My favorite blog when I first started freelancing, and one that I still frequent almost daily, is Ask Allison by Allison Winn Scotch. Since I started reading her blog a couple of years ago, she has written and published two books and is writing a third. Prior to that (and still, I think) she wrote for several magazines, and her website archives have a ton of info for anyone aspiring to write for magazines. You could spend a month there!


• Another blog that I love is The Urban Muse. The writer, Susan Johnston, has recently moved to full-time freelancing, but has been writing for a living for a long time.


• My other favorite blogs include The Renegade Writer (they offer classes too), Men with Pens, Serenity for the Self-Employed and Inkthinker.


• One that I recently started reading is The Writer Mama Riffs by Christina Katz. Here I'm learning a lot about building a writing platform. Christina also offers some great classes.