Tools you can use...and contests!

Mondays are typically my marketing days, even when I'm busy with contracted freelance work. I do this t0 keep a constant flow of work coming my way. On most Mondays, I...

• look for freelance writing jobs,
• update my website and check its traffic,
• update my LinkedIn networking site and see what's happening with everyone,
• check invoices and article due dates,
• touch base with editors,
• set appointments with people I need to interview during the week,
• send queries or letters of introduction (LOIs),
• check to see if my Craigslist ads are current (yep, they do work sometimes), and
• check to see what my favorite bloggers are talking about. If I'm honest, I check on my favorite blogs daily. Sometimes more than once per day--it's called procrastination. :)

Today, being a Monday, I have started doing all of the above, but have just finished reading a really great blog post that I'd like to share from The Renegade Writer Blog. Today they're featuring a great post by guest blogger, Michelle V. Rafter owner of the WordCount blog, who has written a timely piece about using LinkedIn for marketing . It's appropriately titled "Secrets to my LinkedIn Success" and you can read it here.

There are two contests that I ran across today for free, soon-to-be-released books. Read the posts and enter the contests. I did! Here are the links:

• Ask Allison- Allison is hosting a "Book Giveaway Bonanza!" here. Go ahead and enter the contest to win her new book, "Time of my Life", but spend some additional time on Allison's blog. She has tons and tons of info on magazine writing for freelancers, and, most recently, a lot of information on writing, publishing and promoting your book.


• The Urban Muse-Susan has a terrific blog too! After entering the contest to win a copy of Michelle Goodman's "My So-Called Freelance Life: How to Survive and Thrive as a Creative ," spend some time perusing the fabulous insider information at The Urban Muse. Susan recently left a full-time writing position to become a freelancer. Her blog site is posted with all types of very useful information.

Now, what are some of your favorite blogs?

Michael Stelzner, from Writing White Papers, has posted the winners of his annual "Top 10 Blogs for Writers" contest. You can find the winners here for the 2008-2009 contest.

Is your favorite on the list? If yes, which is your favorite? If not, who did Michael miss?

Lori Hall Steele

Lori Hall Steele needs our help. She's a fellow freelance writer who's been diagnosed with ALS--Lou Gehrig's disease. And she's losing her home. She's just days away from having it taken away by the mortgage company because she can't pay her bills.

I don't know Lori personally. I only know her through Freelance Success, a writer's forum that I belong to. They're a great bunch of people.

When the FLXrs found out that one of their own was in trouble, they rallied--big time. There is so much activity going on in that forum on Lori's behalf that it makes your head spin--and it's hard to keep up with who's doing what. I know that Lori and her family are thankful.

Today, because I don't know Lori, I googled her name and found one of her blogs. It really spoke to me, giving me an up close and personal view of what Lori and her family are going through--and a bit of an inside look at Lori herself. The post that really got me was one she posted on Saturday, March 15, 2008--before she lost the use of her hands, before she needed assistance with her breathing. It is called Snow patrol, and it's very touching. You must read it.

My thoughts and prayers are definitely going out to Lori and her family, and I'm being propelled to offer my financial support as well. If you would like to help, click on this link to learn more about Lori's plight and to offer your financial support. And, please pray for her and her family.