In this issue:
Getting Some Linky Love
Help! I Can't Write - How to Set Writing Goals
Are You Sabotaging Your Goals?
Write Really Great Keyword Articles
Learn To Be A Successful Writer
Diary Of A Working Writer October 2007

Getting Some Linky Love

I've been running a series on places where writers can get paid to blog on my Get Paid To Write Online site. I've got a new site to add to the list, but I've decided to give subscribers to this newsletter a chance to get in on the action before I publish the full review.

The site is called the Linky Love Army and I've been using it for the past couple of months. I have to admit that the posting system can be complicated, as you might have to include a link to a product and to another blog, but it works on the principle that you not only earn from referral income, but also from getting traffic to your blog. If you get a wedge position, as the first of a wave of bloggers, you can expect about 10 links into your site. Not bad, really.

The LLA also has paid postings at the $5 rate and is about to release some new ways to earn from blogging. They always pay up promptly and most of the missions are different from the ones you find everywhere else. Best of all, they seem to take any blog, as long as it's indexed. If you want to earn a bit with your blog, now's the time to try it.

Help! I Can't Write - How to Set Writing Goals

By Sharon Hurley Hall

If you're a freelance writer, you probably do it because you love writing, but you also want to get paid to write. When you start out, one of the hardest things is setting aside the time you need to write, yet that's the only way to have a successful writing career. Here are three ways to make sure that you find the time you need to get your freelancing career off the ground.

Writing – Just Do It

The most important thing about writing is to do it. Many published writers suggest that a writer should write every single day. There are several reasons for this. One is that the more you write, the more you sharpen your writing skills. This makes your writing better and increases the chances for you to get paid and get published.

So how do you find that time, especially if you are running the rest of your life and your family's life as well? Here are some suggestions.

Read the rest of Help! I Can't Write - How to Set Writing Goals

Are You Sabotaging Your Goals?

By Sharon Hurley Hall

Sometimes we can sabotage our freelance writing career goals without even realising it. For instance, if you are constantly worried about the time it will take you to do something, you can spend more time worrying than doing, with the predictable result. You may have set yourself the goal of earning more money this year, but how many of the things you do with your time actually help you achieve those goals? You may feel that time is eluding you and that you are not in control.

It is sometimes easy to state what you want to achieve in your freelance writing career, but less easy to actually achieve them. In fact, what happens is you get bogged down with the short term goal of earning a living, forgetting the long term goal of achieving balance in your life.

Balance is different for everyone, but for many writers it might consist of having time for themselves, their children and their family, having well paid writing work and having enough spare time to work on pet writing projects that don’t pay the bills.

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Write Really Great Keyword Articles

By Dana Prince

When you get an assignment that involves ten of the same keyword or twenty or more, it can feel like a bottomless pit at the start. How on earth can I write 10 keyword articles about a common word such as Google with a 1.5% keyword density?

Here's what I do:

Get information on the keywords you are looking at. Look at the search engines and figure out what the competition is saying about those keywords. Those are the people that your client is trying to outrank and outdo. Look at their meta descriptions and think of a way to make yours stand out more AND offer quality to the reader so that they will 'click'. This is a great way to also research your subject!

Use extra related words wherever you can. I use search tools to help me. One free one is http://inventory.overture.com/d/searchinventory/suggestion/. I try to use a few of the top words related to my search term and pepper them through the article. This not only helps your customer optimize for their keywords but also looks at the Long Tail of search engine marketing which means you are actually giving them more value for their money which can get them coming back! If my keyword is a phrase, I try to not only use it as is but also to break it up as well.

Read the rest of Write Really Great Keyword Articles

Learn To Be A Successful Writer

By Sharon Hurley Hall

In order to get their writing published, writers must meet the needs of editors and publishers. Here are three ways that writers can increase the appeal of their writing and themselves.

Writing is a business, and editors and publishers look for certain qualities in their writers. Here are three things new writers can do to increase their appeal to editors and publishers. These will help new writers to get paid and get published.

Learn To Write Well

Most writing is about people and events. If writers say what happened and who is involved, they are halfway to writing a compelling story. Writers should also say when and where something has happened so that readers are well informed. Then it is time for some analysis. Writers need to explain to readers why and how something has happened. This formula will work well for a news story. However, it also works well for a feature article or other story. Even when writing fiction, writers should explain events to readers. Once writers have learned to write the basics, it is easy to add more details and interest to any story.

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Diary Of A Working Writer - October 2007

Every month seems busier than the last and the past month was no exception. The team and I have been working on more consumer finance projects, as well as articles on property and acting, among others. We're a versatile bunch.

I had a parenting article published on the Domestik Goddess blog and have just started writing some more posts for Daily Writing Tips. I also interviewed my sister about her poetry on the Writing Lab.

Meanwhile, I've set myself a task to finish 10 ebooks in 10 weeks. I'm already a bit behind on the first one, but it's all in my head, I promise. That will keep me busy over the next month, whenever I have free time from the other writing projects. Look out for more news on the ebooks next month.