In this issue
-- How To Cope With Writing Burnout
-- Writing Communati
-- Get Paid to Write: Writing For Newspapers
-- Why Freelance Writers May Be the Poorest Internet Entrepreneurs
-- Diary Of A Working Writer - June 2007
-- Why Freelancers Should Write For Free
-- Writer's Bookshelf

Welcome to Writing Lab News. Every issue of this monthly newsletter contains useful articles to help freelance writers learn to improve their writing skills. There are also pointers to useful resources that help writers manage and promote their writing careers.

This month, find out how to deal with the stress of burnout. Discover how to make the most of newspapers as a writing market and read Yuwanda Black's informative post on why freelance writers are the poorest internet entrepreneurs. Enjoy! Next edition: July 2nd.

It happens to all of us at some point. It may be after you have completed 200 keyword rich articles on garbage bins or after you have done the umpteenth rewrite of an article on a subject you find really dull. Even if you're one of the lucky ones, and you enjoy what you write most of the time, at some point you face a moment when you just don't want to write. For a day, a week, a month or even longer, the profession that you rushed to embrace suddenly seems charmless. You feel tired, drained and mentally depleted, but you've still got to make a living. What do you do to recharge your batteries and get interested again?

Some of the things I have tried include knowing when to give up on writing and walking away from the computer. Instead of writing I can read a book, go for a walk, head to the beach, play with my daughter or have a nap. These are all things that are guaranteed to get my mind off the job for a while at least.

But what if the problem lasts longer than a few hours or a day? Sometimes I can feel the mental fatigue coming and I can plan my work schedule to allow some down time. That's the best option. At other times, deadlines loom and I have to write through the pain, vowing never to do this kind of job again. Of course, I will - there are times when any writing job is better than no writing job, particularly if you have bills to pay.

Read the rest of How To Cope With Writing Burnout

Some of you were regulars on a site known as WritingUp, which seems to have disappeared permanently. All is not lost, though. From the ashes has appeared something better, stronger, faster and without all the stuff that annoyed us all. I give you Communati, founded by Mark Whitbeck. The verdict on Communati from old WU regulars is so far, so good. And if you have no idea what I'm talking about, suffice it to say that it's a great blogging community for writers.

Newspapers are a big market for freelance writers. There are tens of thousands of daily, weekly and monthly newspapers around the world. That's a big market for freelance writers to approach. Here's how writers can decide whether newspapers are the right place for them to find paid writing jobs.

This is simple. Many newspapers sell from dedicated shops and news stands in city, town or village centers. This will give writers a guide to what is available in their local area. Most countries also have a selection of national or widely read newspapers which will also be available. These are a good starting point for freelance writers. Directories such as the Writers' and Artists' Yearbook also feature listings of newspaper publishers in different countries with names of editors and section editors. A shortcut for writers is to search for the name of the publication on the internet. Writers will be able to find contact details quickly using this method.

Writing for newspapers will suit writers who like to investigate issues. This type of writing will also suit writers who prefer to write short, factual stories. However, there are also opportunities for writers who prefer more expressive, opinionated writing. Most newspapers have opinion columns and feature pages. In addition, the larger ones also produce weekend magazines. All of these are good potential markets for freelance writers.

Find out more about writing for newspapers

Another gem from Yuwanda Black, whom I featured last month. I don't normally start in the middle of a series, but the points made in this post were too apt to pass up.

Today’s post is a continuation of yesterday’s post. Without further ado, other reasons freelance writers may be the poorest internet entrepreneurs are:

3. Nobody wants to pay for content: I’ve written on this so many times, I just don’t want to go over it again.

However, I will point out that as outlets like social bookmarking sites and free article directories abound -- many just don't feel the need to pay for original content. And why should they?

They can link to an article, or as long as they put in the resource box, outright publish an article on their website, blog, or in their newsletter.

4. Publishing is "easy": Easy is in quotation marks because as anyone who's ever started a publication of any kind knows, it's not. Yes, to start is easy. To make money from it is a whole other ball of wax. Why?

Because that means treating is as a business and marketing, marketing, marketing it to the hilt. I daresay that many freelance writers are introverts when it comes to the work. We don't really care for bugging people to buy an e-book, place an ad, sign up for a seminar. Who likes to be told no, no, no? No one.

BUT, to make a living from our words, that's what we have to endure, which brings me to my next point, marketing.

Read the rest of the article

Yuwanda Black is the publisher of InkwellEditorial.com: THE business portal for and about the editorial and creative industries. First-hand freelance success stories, e-courses, job postings, resume tips, advice on the business of freelancing, and more! Launch a Profitable Freelance Writing Career in 30 Days or Less -- Guaranteed! Log on to InkwellEditorial.com.

I've had a great time in the last month. My writing team is doing well. I have some excellent writers working with me - and they are nice people, too. This month, my Garden and Hearth freelance writing site went live and I am currently working on five new freelancing articles for the site.

I've almost finished the fiction writing course and have learned a lot, though I may stick to non-fiction for now. I started a new promotional lens and got nominated for a Thinking Blogger Award.

I've got a couple of big ghostwriting projects coming up and have also landed contracts with three new agencies.  Meanwhile, I've landed a spot at a new blog called Daily Writing Tips.

I'm still waiting for word on the course I am developing, but I have plenty to do in the meantime.

Freelance writers want to get published and get paid for their writing, so they do not want to write for free. But freelance writers can get a lot of long-term benefits from so-called free articles. Here's what free articles can do for writers.

The more writers write, the better they get - and they faster they can produce articles that get published. New freelance writers may find it difficult to write one or two 400-word articles a day. Experienced freelance writers will be able to write five, six or more within a working day. The reason for this is practice, as well as the key skill of how to recycle content.

Example: I have researched a general article on surfing. Instead of using my research once, I use it several times to write articles with slightly different slants. Some articles are aimed at surfing enthusiasts, others at novices. I also use this material as part of other articles on sports and adrenalin junkies. Instead of writing one article, I have written four.

Writers can also change the slant of their articles depending on the audience they are writing for. The same article on surfing would be written differently for teenagers and silver surfers. Writing for article directories gives writers a chance to experiment with targeting their articles.

Read the rest of Why Freelancers Should Write For Free