help me write

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I started a newsletter in April. Why? Because I thought I ought to. All the site building, traffic building material says you should have a way to communicate with visitors to your site. This makes you a real person, builds a relationship and keeps people coming back to the site. ...

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As you know, I manage the freelance writing topic for InspiredAuthor.com. When I began to write, I used some of the posts from this blog as a starting point, then extended and hopefully improved them by adding examples. Just as with WritingUp, I was forced to think about what I’ve ...

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I’m on a bit of a roll now. I’ve been doing some writing for Lifetips on fruit, video chat and Spanish (more about that in another post), while trying to keep up with my blogs. The schedule is hectic, partly my own fault for doing some really bad writing late ...

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As a freelance writer, it’s your job to keep editors and publishers happy. Aside from the issue of professional integrity, it’s a good way to make sure you’re asked to write for a publication again. One of the best ways of doing this is to be clear on exactly what ...

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Here’s a bit of fun for a rainy day (at least, it’s raining here). There’s a new vote in town. Novel Writer magazine is running a poll on which is the best online writer’s school. This got me to thinking about the value of writing courses. I’m probably old fashioned. ...

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New freelance writers often wonder how to charge for their writing. Writers want to make sure that they get paid fairly for the effort they have put in. In the short term, writers may work for very little while they are getting established. But in the long term, writers who ...

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Every now and then you find a real gem of a book – and I’ve found one that is invaluable for writers. It’s called the Insider’s Guide To Getting Your Book Published. Written by industry veteran Rachael Stock, this is a quick guide to the publishing world. In addition to ...

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When it comes to tools that help me do my job better, free is always good in my book. When writing web articles, writers often need to know how many times they have used particular keywords and keyword phrases. Some employers specify a particular keyword density, while others ask for ...

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It’s no secret that I love being on WritingUp (despite the frustrating downtime) – and now I’ve got one more reason to love it. I’ve said elsewhere that blogging is good for writers. One of the reasons is because it gives them a chance to show off their writing skills. ...

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I’m just starting a new gig for a writing website. (Sneak preview is available here.) While I was checking over my articles, I noticed that some strange characters had appeared in the text. I knew immediately that the error came from Microsoft Word. Word is one of the best of ...

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Even on holiday, I couldn’t stop thinking about my blog. I knew it was in good hands, but I kept having ideas for blog posts. One particular incident made me think of revisiting a post I did on interviewing. In that post I gave the following advice about interview preparation: ...

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You would have realized from my posts that I’m all about “the job�?. Preparing for it. Landing it. Keeping it. Getting paid for it. Today, I thought I’d write about “being good at it�?. So as I cast about in my mind for how to handle today’s topic, I was ...

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Freelancing is tough. What’s even tougher? Finding that perfect job on craigslist…and then realizing you have no samples to send. So do yourself a favor, build a portfolio. Here are my top 5 tips for showcasing your clips: 1. The First Shall Be First Lead with your strongest work. One ...

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Has this ever happened to you? You submit the best copy you’ve ever written. On time, too. You feel really good about your work. Got a good vibe from the client…and then they never call you back. What the heck happened? Read on and weep. The Proof Is In the ...

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You may not know they’re there, but they guide every piece of news you read, watch or listen to. The people who prepare the news probably don’t think about them either. What does it take for a story to make the news? Not every event that happens makes the news. ...

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Overwhelmed If you’re a writer, there’s no such thing as the paperless society. At least, there isn’t for me. When I started out in journalism, my desk was always covered with the stories I was working on (this was before computers). As a sub-editor, I also had to deal with ...

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It’s finally happened. You’ve hit the wall. The dreaded writer’s block has struck and you’re being outstared by a blank screen. What do you do? Where do you turn for inspiration? The answer may be closer than you think. Writers are often told to write what they know. So what ...

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From beginnings to endings … I’ve previously given advice on structure and writing for both news and feature articles, but there’s one aspect I haven’t touched on – the end of your story or article. So repeat after me: Endings should not just be left to happen What do I ...

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