Notes from Minnesota   

Hey Freelancer! 

I got a chance to travel to Columbus, Ohio for a uber-cool event. I'm excited, all is well in my world, It'll be a blast, I'm sure.

If you live in that area, shoot me an e-mail. Perhaps we can snag a moment to share a cuppa joe somewhere along the line. It'll be a quick, busy trip, mid-month. But it would be cool to slow down long enough to meet some fellow writers!

I'm off to get my dominoes in a row and get packing.

Enjoy today's issue of Writing Etc.! Have a fabulous (and profitable) week!

Beth :)

P.S. Be sure to check out our best sellers. Here's the link

P.P.S. Share Writing Etc. with your freelance friends by  clicking here.

Beth's Hot Pick of the Week   

This was a very popular offering so I'm repeating it one more time in case you missed it:

As much as I hate to admit it, if you don't know how to sell, you'll never become a successful freelance writer. That's the bad news.

Good news? You don't need to turn yourself into a pretzel to learn effective marketing techniques. In fact, just master a few rudimentary concepts, and you're well on your way to creating a writing career on your own terms.

I lay out a clear marketing plan on this easy-to-listen-to CD called “Marketing 101 for Writers.”

It's ten smackers and write “Writing Etc.” in the comments area and I'll throw in my two powerful audio CDs: “Preparing for Creativity” and “Dissolving Blocks.”

Just click here. :)

Make Your Writing Sparkle   

OK. We're talking one of my pet peeves today: the dreaded homonym.

A homonym is a word that sounds exceedingly similar or the same as another, but the spellings, and definitions, are different.

Example: ad and add.

Ad: short for “advertisement.”

Add: short for “addition.”

And my pet peeve? Loose and lose.

I've lost 80 pounds and have had writers e-mail me asking for tips to “loose” weight. Sorry dude, my pants may be “loose” but my weight isn't.

Loose = not tight

Lose = to come to be without (dictionary.reference.com)

Be aware of various homonyms and take care to select the correct word for the situation.

More on this next time. :)

'Til next time. :)

Prompts for the Week  

If you need to jumpstart your journaling, these prompts will give you a fresh perspective and (hopefully) help your mental journey to new territory. Here are the rules:

First, read the prompt and ponder it a minute.

Second, get writing. Don't stop. Even if you can't think of anything, keep the fingers moving.

Third, write a minimum of one page per prompt.

Let's get started:

1. Write a poem using the word “loose.”

2. Write a poem using the word “lose” in the title.

3. Think of five random objects. Use each of them in a story.

4. What kind of tree are you?

5. What color are you this week?

6. Listen to a dog barking (or imagine it) and decipher the story they're telling.

7. What does a blade of grass think about?

Have fun!

Feature Article  

Building Your Freelance Library, Part Deux

Beth Ann Erickson  

Last time we left off building your writing library. Let’s start there.

You should read “Scientific Advertising” by Hopkins every year. You can get it free on the Internet or spring a few bucks for a bound edition on Amazon.

I personally find this book a bit dry. (Don’t tell any marketers I said that.) But I persevere and get through it on a regular basis.

“The Robert Collier Letter Book” is also an oldie but goodie. This is another tough read. But the information’s timeless.

Schwab’s “How to Write a Good Advertisement” is in my library because every single big name copywriter recommends it. I’ve read it, not my favorite, but fabulous info.

Peter Bowerman’s books “The Well Fed Writer” and his “Back for Seconds” have some great information if you live in a more urban area. I live in a rural area but was able to glean a few good ideas out of the mix. I like his writing style. Very readable and immensely understandable.

Herschel Gordon Lewis has some great copywriting titles, but I’ll be blunt. The guy’s rather unusual. Just surf to his website and you’ll see what I mean. Anyone who tells his readers to use “verisimilitude” rather than a more simple term is questionable in my book. But the guy can write solid copy and is worth of a slot or two in your library.

If you don’t have a swipe file started, Denny Hatch’s “Million Dollar Mailings” is kinda expensive, but you’ll receive not only million-dollar letters, you also receive all the inserts as well as envelope copy used. I highly recommend this book if you see copywriting as a part of your writing future.

You can use the proven winners in this text as sources for inspiration, dissect them to ascertain what persuasion tricks the writer was employing as s/he wrote, and you can even swipe some of these letters.

Now.. a fast word on swiping.

It took me a while to understand the purpose and process of swiping. Here’s what I eventually came to understand about this little-explained facet of copywriting:

First, swiping is not copying. You do not want to plagiarize. Ever.

Plagiarizing is the fast track to a dead end writing career. Get accused of this and you’re toast. Career’s done. Probably for a very long time.

What you can do when you swipe, however, is imitate the tone. Copy the pacing. Mimic the attitude.

You can focus on the structure and swipe that. When you see an illustration, place an illustration in the same spot. Where you find a short paragraph, do likewise.

But, make sure your message is your own. Don’t copy even one of the sentences. You can swipe the message and/or theme of any part of the letter, just be sure to use your own words.

Reject this advice at your own peril.

Now, on to building your biz...

You’re building a cool writing library. What else do you need to run a successful writing biz?

Luckily, freelancing requires very little overhead expenses.

You need a good computer, high speed Internet, and a quality printer. (Duh.)

You need plenty of room for your desk and your (ever growing) library. When I was getting started, I purchased my first desk at GoodWill as well as a big, cheap bookshelf. I’m still writing on that desk and that bookshelf has been stuffed and unstuffed (as I purchase more bookshelves) more times than I can count.

Whenever you have some spare cash, ALWAYS invest in your writing career. Purchase more books. Get your hands on some of the guru’s offerings, particularly John Carlton. Even if you never plan to write a word of copy, STILL buy Carlton’s stuff so you can learn how to write in a stealthy persuasive manner. :)

I tell the folks I coach to forget the fancy office supplies such as professionally designed letterhead and expensive business cards, and instead focus on getting paying clients.

Now, I know far too many writers who study writing, discuss writing, blog about writing, “teach” writing, visit writing forums, you name it... they do it all except... write. We just talked about that.

I find it immensely puzzling. In fact, I’m not sure if folks of any other profession face this situation.

I don’t know many doctors who train for years, then give up when it’s time to open a practice. I also don’t know of any docs who will practice for free.

My husband went to college for two years to learn how to create an efficient heating/cooling system. Once he graduated, he hit the ground running and started earning back his college fees pronto.

Yet, I watch writers who train, read, build their libraries, then write on spec, write for free, work for less than minimum wage, live on the poverty level.

What the heck?

Always get paid when you write. The day you decide you don’t need to get paid is the day you call your plumber and ask him to work on spec. Give you doc a jingle and ask if she’ll give you an exam for free. Grab a cart of groceries and try to walk out the door without paying.

You’re in for a bumpy ride if you do this.

End of minor rant. :)

So, how do you write not good, but GREAT? How do you get good fast? How do you build a profitable writing career where you feel comfortable with your skills, your projects, and fee scale?

This is a big series of questions that many writers never quite answer.

After all, when you’re a doc, you have immediate feedback from your patients.

When you’re a plumber, you see when the pipe no longer leaks.

How do you, as a writer, achieve a track record when to land any super writing assignments you need... a track record. A portfolio?

It’s the eternal Catch 22.

And we'll talk more about this later.

~~~

Beth Ann Erickson is the “Queen Bee” of Filbert Publishing. She’s also the author of numerous titles as well as the Creative Mindset Newsletter. Pick up the first seven copies today here. She’s also a busy copywriter, speaker, and publisher of Writing Etc., the free e-mag for writers. 

P.S. You can use this article free of charge on your own website or zine. Just don’t make any changes and be sure to include the entire byline. Enjoy!

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http://www.WritingForDollars.com

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