Freelance writers, journalists, and bloggers need to show editors and prospect clients examples of their work. It can be a hassle though — you have to attach clips to an e-mail, or put them up on your own website, or try to direct that editor/client to several different websites. But British journalist and fellow freelancer […]
Why Freelance Writers Must Be On LinkedIn
Freelance writers who want successful writing careers must be on LinkedIn. I know some of you reading this are already there, but even if you are, do you take full advantage of the site? How LinkedIn Helps Freelance Writers I’ve gotten assignments from editors and companies that have found me on LinkedIn, and I know […]
Should You Edit As You Write?
Should you edit as you write? It’s a question every freelance writer must ask, and there is no set answer. It truly is a personal preference — you just must do what works best for you. All Writers Are Editors You don’t have to be a perfect editor, but you can’t count on others to […]
Top Speed Reading Techniques to Boost Your Productivity
Speed reading is a key time-management skill that boosts your productivity. When you read faster with a high level of comprehension, you have more time for making money in your business or profession, or for doing anything else you want to do. If you are like most people, you read 250-300 words a minute. By […]
My Interview With Carol Tice About Freelance Writing
Last July I was interviewed by Carol Tice of the Freelance Writers Den about my main freelance specialty — writing college textbook supplements and other educational materials — and also about my best productivity techniques for writers. I wrote back then that I’d eventually provide you with the audio interview, and now I’m fulfilling that […]
How to Minimize Interruptions So You Can Get Your Writing Done
Whenever something interrupts you from your writing, your concentration is broken and you lose time as your mind tries to recover that productive state you were in. And, of course, you also lose time dealing with whatever distracted you. Good time management is a top priority here at Productive Writers, so let’s discuss the major […]
Seven Key Steps for Finding, Evaluating, and Implementing Good Ideas
“The best way to have a good idea is to have lots of ideas.” — Linus Pauling. As writers, we all want good ideas about what freelance projects to pursue and what else to write — nonfiction books, e-books, a novel. And we also want good ideas about what to do in the other important […]
Writing Ergonomics: Top Tips for Proper Posture, Alignment, and Movement
Authors and everyone who writes or works at a computer needs to pay attention to proper body posture/position, alignment, and movement — if you want to be a faster writer and be a happier writer, you must learn about writing ergonomics. What Is Writing Ergonomics? Ergonomics is the science of work. When specifically applied to […]
My Review of Carol Tice’s Freelance Writers Den Membership Site
Carol Tice’s Freelance Writers Den is a membership site dedicated to helping people serious about freelance writing increase their chances of success. The site opened a few weeks ago, and since I’ve been an active member since the get-go, I’ve watched closely what Carol has done — and I’m quite impressed. In this review I […]
How to Capture, Save, and Review Your Freelance Writing Ideas
Good ideas are crucial to the success of freelance writers and all creative types. But you have to do more than generate good ideas: you have to get those ideas out of your brain and into some system to save them. Only then can you evaluate those ideas and pick the best for implementation. The […]
On Freelance Writers Who Write For Free or Low Fees
Many freelance writers write paid blog posts in order to pay the bills and further their writing careers. One freelance writer who has had success at it is Carol Tice, but she recently wrote an insightful and important post called “Will Huffington Post Syndrome Kill Paid Blogging?” in which she discusses how two of her […]