tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-55934175844019379312024-12-18T22:18:31.366-05:00Distilled Freelance Writing Knowledge <br>and Creative Writing Tips by Brian Scott, freelance writerAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06666942938052097121noreply@blogger.comBlogger56125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5593417584401937931.post-74320385413401479732015-06-01T14:29:00.000-04:002015-06-01T14:31:03.218-04:00

Google News is just packed with story ideas that are waiting for writers to write them. The trick is finding them—and then, once you do, knowing how to use them. If you're ever at a loss for ideas, plot elements, characters, settings, or just inspiration, pair up with Google News and try one or more of the following techniques to break your writer’s block: Main screen of Google News

Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06666942938052097121noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5593417584401937931.post-2081421586140183512015-04-25T14:08:00.002-04:002015-04-25T14:28:26.324-04:00

Strong travel writing should hook a reader from the very first sentence. Here are six top techniques for opening an accomplished piece of travel writing. Technique #1: The Anecdote A tried and tested method of opening your travel essay is the anecdote. A short, pithy story that illuminates some of the greater themes or topics in your larger piece, the anecdote is an excellent way to

Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06666942938052097121noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5593417584401937931.post-79745938050354672015-03-24T16:28:00.001-04:002015-03-24T17:22:38.327-04:00

Poetry uses the power of words to evoke a large variety of feelings, both happy and sad. There are as many different types of poems and poetry as there are book genres. Let’s take a few minutes to examine some favorites. The first poems we are usually introduced to as children, although at the time we wouldn't know to call them poetry, are nursery rhymes. Nursery rhymes are usually brief,

Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06666942938052097121noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5593417584401937931.post-743353725101883462015-02-07T12:12:00.001-05:002015-02-07T17:34:56.574-05:00

Every line of a query letter is crucial, but the hook is the first part of the query that an editor will read, making it the most important. Most readers tend to move on to something more interesting if the first few lines of an article don't grab their attention. It only makes sense—and is plainly obvious--that an editor won't finish your query letter if you fail to grab his or her attention

Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06666942938052097121noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5593417584401937931.post-46299138455875278662014-09-24T10:22:00.000-04:002014-09-24T10:23:19.654-04:00

For politicians churning out multitudes of sound bites, press releases and Tweets in our 24-hour news cycle, the probability of making a spelling or grammar mistake is high. Some are inconsequential, others are laughable, and a few are downright embarrassing. Take a look at these famous flubs from the last few campaign cycles. 1. The Obama Campaign's "Congrssional Budget Office"—In a video

Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06666942938052097121noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5593417584401937931.post-67194423794796539692014-08-25T18:27:00.000-04:002014-08-26T11:11:32.473-04:00

With more people working part-time and looking to supplement their income with freelance work, it's important for creative-types to learn how to pitch, communicate, and correspond with editors the right way, especially if they dream of becoming full-time freelance writers. A difficult but essential writing rule I had to learn as a budding freelance writer was to communicate and interact

Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06666942938052097121noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5593417584401937931.post-80071428320814853682014-08-12T12:41:00.001-04:002014-08-12T14:24:32.493-04:00

Jargon is a specialized writing style often abused by big business, certain trade industries in the legal and medical fields, federal and state governments, and institutes of education. Jargon contains "workshop words," vague figures of speech, hackneyed expressions, and pompous writing that communicators use obsessively to communicate with their peers and colleagues. Many communicators who are

Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06666942938052097121noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5593417584401937931.post-55143113893814660822014-05-17T11:31:00.001-04:002014-05-19T09:30:52.323-04:00

Freelance writing can be an exciting career choice or a creative way to make extra money on the side. The daily chore of freelancing involves seeking out new editorial markets, whether print magazines, online ezines, news journals, etc. If you have an idea for an article, the most common method to procure a writing assignment is with a well-written, compelling, and persuasive query letter.

Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06666942938052097121noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5593417584401937931.post-14810898012406293742014-05-01T17:51:00.003-04:002014-05-03T10:53:46.425-04:00

Few figures in history have had a lasting effect the way William Shakespeare has. Simply stating the man's name is enough to make a connection to literature, drama, and the written word as a creative tool rather than just a means of communication. But even with a legacy as robust and celebrated as time has awarded William Shakespeare, other trivial facts make this historical giant even more

Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06666942938052097121noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5593417584401937931.post-64718940034443748772014-04-11T10:25:00.000-04:002014-05-01T18:10:29.875-04:00

Style guides provide writers and non-writers with a manual of rules for writing, formatting and creating documents. They govern consistency and uniformity. Many of us have used a style guide in school, such as APA Style, MLA Style or Chicago Manual of Style, to format and cite sources for a thesis, dissertation or research paper. You may have used a style guide when you composed an article for

Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06666942938052097121noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5593417584401937931.post-85096243772277350092014-03-27T11:59:00.000-04:002014-05-01T18:10:42.995-04:00

A well-written press release can greatly boost your sales, promote your business globally, and significantly improve the image of your business, products and/or services. I share with you my own 15 PR tips that will guide you in the right direction to: 1) write a newsworthy press release for any occasion; 2) format a press release for print media and digital media; 3) distribute your press

Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06666942938052097121noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5593417584401937931.post-23881374486340272482014-03-04T10:01:00.000-05:002016-12-21T10:24:09.889-05:00

I have updated and moved this article to my other blog. Read my article, "The Best Crowdsourcing Job Sites Used by Professional Freelance Writers in 2017." The Internet has made finding freelance writing work much easier. You can visit a job site in one or two clicks of the mouse, and then review current jobs that need writers immediately. In this special post, I will reveal the best,

Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06666942938052097121noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5593417584401937931.post-83606387926322989712014-03-04T09:59:00.000-05:002014-05-01T18:15:20.893-04:00

During the Global Recession (2007-2011), a time during which many countries faced near economic collapse, an untold number of workers lost their jobs or were transitioned from full-time to part-time work without benefits. In 2009 the U.S. unemployment rate peaked at 10%, a 16-year high. More than 2.5 million U.S. workers had lost their jobs. What may seem all negative also had positive outcomes

Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06666942938052097121noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5593417584401937931.post-16167170420095799602014-02-19T08:28:00.000-05:002014-05-01T18:15:30.424-04:00

When words bog you down and writer's block looms, it can be helpful to switch creative modes. Spending time looking at images can stimulate different parts of your brain and get your creativity flowing again. Pinterest is a treasure trove of images, all collected in intriguing, sometimes in evocative ways. Here are some ways to use Pinterest to stimulate your writing, whether you are in need

Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06666942938052097121noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5593417584401937931.post-42745453431175394132014-02-03T11:19:00.000-05:002014-05-01T18:15:42.725-04:00

In my quest to hone my screenwriting skills and learn how to become a better screenwriter, I've encountered several useful eBooks. Many of these eBooks are written by professional screenwriters or creative story writers whose purpose is to distill their own tips and advice to succeed at screenwriting. Some of these eBooks are short (up to 30 pages) and focus on one or a few specific topics

Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06666942938052097121noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5593417584401937931.post-10910162928913197702014-01-02T12:38:00.001-05:002014-05-01T18:15:55.841-04:00

These free tools will help you cite, format and organize your references in APA Style, MLA Style or Chicago/Turabian Style, as well as automatically create your Bibliography page, Works Cited Page or References List page. No matter what type of paper you're writing (i.e. dissertation, thesis, or research paper), your teacher or publisher will request that you follow specific guidelines based

Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06666942938052097121noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5593417584401937931.post-18035932050398701322013-12-13T10:43:00.000-05:002014-05-06T13:04:01.163-04:00

In today's Digital Age tech-savvy readers prefer to get their information in digital form, not paperback or print form. Their reading habits continue to disrupt the traditional publishing model of print media. It's becoming a glaring fact that the number of print magazine titles may eventually decline to a point where publishing companies begin to shut down their print operations and go

Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06666942938052097121noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5593417584401937931.post-28308956348922418102013-12-05T12:31:00.000-05:002014-05-02T11:53:58.450-04:00

I have rounded up the most powerful (free!) online plagiarism checkers to prevent you from duplicating or (accidentally) plagiarizing text. Of course, you can use these same plagiarism detectors to identify plagiarists who are stealing your content or republishing your articles without your permission. I have thoroughly tested each of these plagiarism checkers to make sure: 1) they actually

Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06666942938052097121noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5593417584401937931.post-38369718570707063512013-11-22T13:34:00.000-05:002014-05-02T11:54:22.639-04:00

When I first started writing poetry, it was for a poetry class in college. I took the class because I had wanted a source of motivation to begin writing haiku, free-form, and traditional poetry. I soon discovered that I loved writing in these styles, and I received lots of praise for my efforts from my fellow classmates, my professor, and published poets. I enjoyed it so much that I kept

Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06666942938052097121noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5593417584401937931.post-59506994172638895522013-09-17T14:30:00.000-04:002014-05-02T11:54:51.663-04:00

Did you know... Mr. Twain's "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" (pub. 1885) was once dismissed as "trash, suitable only for the slums." It is ranked as the fourth most banned book in the United States, even though the book is recognized as a "Great American Classic" and sells 200K copies each year. Or that...&nbsp; "The Diary of a Young Girl" (pub. 1947), a historically-important book

Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06666942938052097121noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5593417584401937931.post-85137940431546608362013-08-14T12:06:00.001-04:002014-05-02T11:55:10.591-04:00

Still buzzing in the news is the leaked tweet revealing that J.K. Rowling had used the pen name&nbsp;Robert Galbraith&nbsp;as the author of her new crime novel, The Cuckoo's Calling. News reporters and the public at large reacted with both shock and intrigue at her using a fictitious name. The big question is, Why? This has stirred up discussions in the literary world on the subject of pen

Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06666942938052097121noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5593417584401937931.post-57586542514135862072013-06-28T16:00:00.000-04:002013-06-28T13:06:43.019-04:00

I've designed this free (info)graphic called, "In Plain English, Please! Part 1" as a simple reference to help you substitute "wordy words" with simpler&nbsp;words when you proof your writing. Feel free to save this image and post it anywhere you'd like. To save it to your computer, Right-Click on the image and save it. Then upload it anywhere: your website, blog, Pinterest account, etc.&nbsp;

Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06666942938052097121noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5593417584401937931.post-66806058044746382362013-06-22T10:29:00.001-04:002014-05-02T11:56:13.658-04:00

Resume writing services have increased over the last few years as more unemployed people find jobs and others leave temporary part-time jobs for full-time jobs with benefits. Trying to track Department of Labor statistics isn't easy to justify&nbsp;exactly&nbsp;why this specialization continues to grow. Recently, the number of U.S. citizens filing for unemployment benefits has been trending

Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06666942938052097121noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5593417584401937931.post-58548554595358303312013-06-19T13:22:00.000-04:002014-05-02T11:56:35.372-04:00

Up until last year, I never knew Amazon.com had its own marketplace where freelancers could find work. Called Mechanical Turk (MTurk), it is Amazon's own custom platform to help businesses outsource their work virtually from anywhere in the world. When I say "work," I mean very small assignments or tasks that don't pay competitive rates; these include: writing content,&nbsp; researching

Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06666942938052097121noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5593417584401937931.post-89227446931521294822013-05-20T12:13:00.000-04:002014-05-02T11:56:57.279-04:00

The story of George R.R. Martin (author of A&nbsp;Game of Thrones) as a writer, and as a storyteller, exemplifies a model of success that aspiring authors should study as they progress in their writing careers. Martin's own story of success is one of persistence, ingenuity, and a youthful spirit of opportunity. Martin is the best-selling author of A Song of Ice and Fire, a 5-volume saga

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