There aren’t rules for being a writer. No requirements to get the job. No employer or client requires a certification, test or degree. But there are things every writer should avoid in order to be successful. Most of them are common sense, or perhaps common business sense. Others are industry specific.
Here are some of the top things you should never do as a professional writer.
No matter what you write, earning money from your writing means you are running a business. If you want to be serious about having a writing career, one that will allow you to pay your mortgage and eat, then you need to know what you are getting into and plan accordingly. Here are 15 tips for setting up a professional freelance writing business.
Working with an editor is like any other business relationship. It requires professionalism and courtesy. Never forget that writing is a business. Just as you would hire a lawyer to negotiate your contracts, you need an editor to publish your work. They are there to partner with you to create something better.
Oh, the dreams are big. Quit your job. Write all day. Make a living in your PJs, working your own hours. It’s so romantic. So appealing. The image of the writer is part of why so many people want to embrace the life of a freelance writer or novelist.
After so long in the industry, I have learned some overarching truths. Here are my top 10 lessons learned.
Last week I shared my favorite gadgets and gizmos. This week I am focusing on programs. While I am not a huge user of apps, I do find a few helpful and have looked into other that I don’t use yet but plan to add to my capabilities.
I am the first to admit I am not enamored of all things electronic. I tend to be a bit old school, but I do have my favorite things, which I am going to share today.
The reason I am not fond of many gadgets and apps is that I find they confuse things and make them harder than they should be or at least more cumbersome. When it comes to research and writing, I like to keep things fairly simple, but that is not to say I don’t use technology. I do and the things I use I swear by. Don’t try to take them away from me. You will get hurt.
Ideas multiply. It’s a fact. It’s physics. Energy begets energy. Ideas beget ideas.
I get a lot of ideas when I write. The come from what I’ve written, from my research and from my characters themselves. Sometimes it is a line I write that doesn’t quite fit my current story, but that sparks a new one. Most often, though, it is an idea to fill a hole in my plot I hadn’t realized was there.
If you’re like me, you are probably setting goals for the new year—promises to exercise daily or eat right. It’s the season for starting over and re-committing to good habits. There’s nothing like feeling you have a clean slate and can move forward freely into a new and improved you. But while you’re picking good habits, don’t forget your writing.
I’ve struggled with the second part of my ways to avoid annoying editors series, mostly because the things that tend to annoy editors (okay, me) are difficult to write about without sounding harsh. I kept trying to couch my comments to be nicer, but in the end decided that telling the truth was more important. It is better to hear about them before you submit than after. So take this advice for what it is: tips to get better so your work is accepted instead of rejected.
How? By doing one simple thing. It’s easy. Trust me. I’m going to share one of my biggest irritations as a writer/editor—extra spaces.
Yes, you heard me correctly. I dislike extra spaces, specifically the ones that appear after a period.
I spent today editing materials for a client who clings to old habits and here is what I told him:
What I carry in my bag to keep writing on the go. What do you need to carry?