Writing Lab News - Issue 44 - November 2009

Writing Lab News
Straight talk about your writing career
from Sharon Hurley Hall

Issue 44 - November 2009

Welcome to the November issue of Writing Lab News. In this issue I look at one way to achieve more freedom as a freelancer, review a great resource for new writers and answer a reader's question about getting published.

In this issue:

Control Your Calendar For Freelance Freedom
Are You Writing Right?
Reader Question: Gathering Dust
Writing Talk: Reasons To Love Writing 2
Diary Of A Working Writer November 2009

Control Your Calendar For Freelance Freedom

by Sharon Hurley Hall

This is a subscriber exclusive.

So you've achieved your dream of becoming a freelance writer. You have quit the day job and have a few regular clients. But what do you do now? In many cases, the famous freelance freedom is elusive. In fact, the chances are that you have exchanged one grind for another. Instead of working for a boss, you are now at the beck and call of your clients - and it doesn't always feel as great as you thought it would.

The good news is that there IS some freedom in freelancing, so you don't have to keep on working in a way that leaves you stressed out and unhappy. One way to design the freelance lifestyle you want is to take control of your calendar rather than letting it control you:

Think about how many hours you actually need to work each week to eat, pay bills and have a few luxuries.
Divide these up among your work days - and remember, there's no rule that says your work week HAS to be Monday to Friday.
Program in some time for exercise and for fun
Only book work in for your designated working times - while you may work late one night or early one morning, that should be your choice rather than your client's demand

Find other ways to control your workload in Writers, Are You Working Too Hard?

Are You Writing Right?

by Sharon Hurley Hall

If you're new to online writing, then you might need a bit of help to get things right. It can be difficult to get to grips with the aspects of style and structure that make a piece of online writing both a joy to read and useful content for your client.

Travel blogger Andy Hayes has put the lessons he has learned about online writing into a short but effective ebook called Write Right Online. It's got two main sections. The first, titled Putting Your Virtual Pen To Work, covers tips on the writing itself. The second, titled Tech Nuts and Bolts, has tips on formatting, analytics, multimedia and more.

Best of all, there's a checklist at the end so you will never forget the tips. The great thing about Write Right Online is that you can read it in half an hour or so and immediately improve your writing. And you'll make back the $27 (Ł17) you spend with your first writing job.

Reader Question: Gathering Dust

I get a lot of questions from newsletter and blog readers, asking about issues related to writing. This month's question has to do with a publication options.

The situation: RP said: 'I wrote a book. I have not got it published, it seemed that everywhere I contacted, the cost of publishing seemed to me to be very steep indeed. It is now just sitting there typed on A4 paper, doing nothing but gathering dust. Would you have any ideas on where I could get published and printed or would I be better doing it online?'

My response: These days there are lots of publication options. If you want to publish quickly and can put some marketing effort of your own behind it, then online might be the way to go. Check out Lulu.com and competitors for good self publishing options. Guest author Suzanne James, who owns a publishing house wrote a great post on How To Pick A Publisher, which is worth a read.

However you don't have to self publish exclusively. That can be the first step in showing that there's a market for your book. Many people produce both print and ebook versions. If you are going for offline publishing, then you should consider getting an agent or looking for publishers that accept unsolicited submissions. Check out my review of The Insider's Guide To Getting Your Book Published for more info.

Writing Talk - Reasons To Love Writing 2

This is just one of the many reasons why I love being a freelance writer. Check out the other Writing Talk strips here.

Diary Of A Working Writer – November 2009

In the past month, I've continued to travel, writing as I go - though not - mostly - about the places I've been. October was the start of a new blogging gig for me at BloggingTips.com. I've covered a few interesting issues there, including Four Things I Wish I Had Known When I Started Blogging and Five More Great Sites For Writers.

At PiggyBankPie I considered The Value of a Blog Series, while I continued to review new websites at Appvita. On the Taking Off Travel Blog, I shared some of the photos from my trip, looked at Top Tools For Staying Connected on the road and nominated a few more travel bloggers worth following.

Dana Prince has made a great start on Get Paid To Write Online - you can see her posts on her author page. Meanwhile, I was featured on the Jet Set Citizen blog (thanks, John) and started a new gig at Suite 101. Behind the scenes, I've been working on a few projects, including a draft of my next free ebook, which I hope to launch before Christmas. See you next month!

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