Tag Archives: freelance writing

Freelance Writing: Keeping Track of Ideas

One of the greatest challenges faced by the freelance writer, besides finding leads, is coming up with ideas and keeping tracking of them. The truth is you can find inspiration everywhere, but you may be working on something else when an idea hits. Write the idea down and tuck it away where you can find it again when you need it. I had a terrible habit of grabbing any paper I could find from a napkin to a matchbook cover and writing ideas down with anything within reach from a crayon to once using an eye liner pencil. Now, I … Continue reading →

Create Greeting Card Copy and Artwork

Even if you aren’t planning to write a best seller, you may be interested in writing for greeting card companies. It’s a lot of fun and it’s a very creative way to make some extra money working from home. Many greeting card companies also accept artwork submissions if art is your area of expertise. To get a good idea of what is popular in the greeting card industry today, visit a local store and review different brands of cards, or visit a company’s website to get a better feel for their line. Some companies publish one-liners, while others like long … Continue reading →

Freelance Writing: Query Letter Info

As you research writer’s guidelines, you’ll see notes such as “please query first.” This means that the editor prefers to learn a bit more about you and about your proposed article, before agreeing to read your complete manuscript. A query letter is a way to introduce yourself and an opportunity to make a good impression. The best way to make a good impression is to keep the query letter short and to the point. Editors are very busy and prefer brief, informative queries. Keeping your query under one page in length, shows that you can convey your message in as … Continue reading →

Freelance Writing: Leads for Developing Clips

If you’re trying to establish yourself as a new writer, you need to develop clips. The term is an old school one, a short form of clippings. A similar term is tear sheets. Clips are simply copies of (or links to) published articles that you send an editor as examples of your writing ability. So, how can you get some clips? You might be tempted to write free of charge for publications or websites that ask you to work for nothing but “exposure.” It is unfortunate that many venues take advantage of new writers this way. They pay everyone else … Continue reading →

Home Business: Freelance Writing Advice

The first, and perhaps the most important, aspect of starting a freelance writing business is learning to research writers’ markets. It can be time consuming at first, but once you get the hang of it, you’ll breeze through market listings in no time. You’ll be able to tell the scams from the real jobs, and you’ll know which markets suit you and which ones don’t. As you research writers’ markets, pay close attention to what the publication wants. If they don’t buy poetry or fiction, don’t send it. There are markets that do accept these works, so look for them … Continue reading →