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Writing Etc. – August 15, 2006

ISSN: 1545-5580

Tips, Techniques, and Resources to Transform You From An Average Freelancer to A Highly Paid Professional.

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Notes from Minnesota

Learning From Songwriters by Beth Ann Erickson

Paying Markets

You Speak Out: Q&A

~~~~~Highly Recommended~~~~~~~~~~

While many freelance writers struggle to earn a decent wage, Bob Bly has proven again and again, year after year, that it’s not only possible to earn far more, it’s possible to to transform words into a $100,000 per year freelancing business.

And he shares all his secrets within these pages. Secrets like:

• The hidden market most freelancers overlook that can boost your income to unbelievable levels
• The “quiet” magazine market that’s easy to break into and often pays very well
• How to ask for (and get) the fees you deserve
• How to use Bob’s “positioning” techniques to set you apart from your competition
• How to write a “bullet proof” book proposal
• 22 rules for successful self promotion
• Insider secrets to effectively use the Internet to reach your income goals
• How to do more... in less time

Bly goes on to list resources... books, websites, organizations and magazines... that are designed to help you succeed as a freelance writer.

Bob Bly’s Guide to Freelance Writing Success is an indispensable resource for the serious freelancer. Bly’s track record is impeccable. And now he’s spilling his secrets.

Buy your copy today: http://filbertpublishing.com/bob.htm

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Greetings from Minnesota!

I’m still busier than a one-armed paperhanger with the hives. J

I know. Corny.

It’s a happy problem, really. After all, drowning in writing assignments is why we’re in business, right?

So I’m definitely not complaining.

Life is good.

Last weekend, Peder (our dear son), officially earned his Eagle Scout Award. Mighty awesome. Earlier we adopted a new dog from the Humane Society. Although he’ll never replace little Lucy the Rat Terrier Wonder Dog, Jake is fitting into our family just fine.

I’ll post pics of our new honey-dog later.

Lastly, we gearing up to officially release “101 Low Cost (and No Cost) Techniques to Turbo Charge Your Writing Income.”  What a fun project! Pre-release response has been tremendous.

In fact, we only have three of our deluxe packages left and we’re pulling them off the market on Friday. I know. We said August 15, but I’ve received so many e-mails asking to extend it until Friday that we decided to do so.

But once those three pre-release packages are sold, that’s it.

You can check it out here: http://filbertpublishing.com/special.html

After everything slows down a bit, I’ll get back on track and will jump right in on the questions you’ve so kindly submitted.

Till then, to your success,

Beth

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~~~~~~~~~~~~ Feature Article ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Learning from Songwriters

Beth Ann Erickson

An Excerpt from Jumpstart Your Writing Career

http://filbertpublishing.com/jumpstart.htm

When it comes to writing with brevity, emotional appeal, and using ultra-specific words, songwriters have all of us beat.

You see, when a songwriter sits down to write a song, they have to immediately hook the listener, they have to keep them entertained, then drive home their message – all in the space of about three minutes.

Sound kinda familiar? That’s pretty much what we have to do….

What we write may take more time to create (or read) than a “simple” song, but we could learn a lot from studying the craft of songwriting, beginning with their use of language.

As I listen to many of my favorite songs on the radio, I’m often struck by their ultra-specific language. For example, the first verse in Phil Vassar’s “Just Another Day in Paradise” transports us to his kitchen where the new morning has erupted into its daily pandemonium. He does this with a series of two-syllable sentences using some of the most ultra-specific language I’ve heard in a long time.

(By the way, I’d love to print the lyrics for you, but I’d really hate to break every copywriting law known to man…. I recommend you check out his lyrics by purchasing his CD or visiting your local library and see if they carry his music.)

In case you don’t know “Just Another Day…” another song that makes particularly good use of ultra-specific language is “Little Red Rodeo” sung by Collin Raye. In this song, a woman’s left her boyfriend and gone to California. But the songwriter never blatantly tells us this. We glean all the information we need from his ultra-specific language that dances around the obvious but nails the message. Instead of telling us “she drove off in her car,” we’re told he’s “gotta catch that little red Rodeo….”

So right now, you’re probably thinking, “She’s trying to tell me that I can make my writing stronger by listening to music?”

Exactly. Studying, listening to, and absorbing good lyrics will expose you to some wonderful examples of succinct language. And being exposed to that language will help you cultivate the use of concise language. And that, in turn will help you write using ultra-specific words. All for the price of a song….

So, instead of writing, “She had a flower,” think like a songwriter. You can strengthen your sentence by zeroing in on your noun and writing “daisy,” “chrysanthemum,” or “dandelion.” (Notice how each different flower creates a different, vivid image in your mind?)

Next, you can toss out that worthless verb (had) and tell us what she was doing with the flower. Was she holding it? Tossing it? Caressing it? Each verb evokes a different image. And that’s exactly what you’re trying to do – draw a vivid and memorable word-painting in the mind of your reader.

So as you can see, studying lyrics is a wonderful way to train your mind to prefer using ultra-specific words in your sentences. But that’s not the only benefit you’ll get from studying music.

Songwriters also make good use of some of various elements of poetry like alliteration, rhyme, themes, onomatopoeia, voice, similes, metaphors, and rhythm, just to name a few. They use all these elements and STILL create phrases that sound as though they could come from almost anybody’s mouth. That’s a feat.

You would do well to listen – and I mean REALLY – listen to lyrics. Study the words the writer chooses. Study how they’re presented. Study rhyme and rhythm schemes. Whether you write fiction, nonfiction, sales letters, poetry, or commercial communications, doing this exercise will help your writing begin to sparkle.

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Beth Ann Erickson is the “Queen Bee” of Filbert Publishing. She’s also the author of soon-defunct Jumpstart Your Writing Career (http://filbertpublishing.com/jumpstart.htm ) and the upcoming 101 No Cost and Low Cost Secrets To Turbo Charge Your Freelance Income. Keep your eye out for it within the next month or so. 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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Paying Markets – check ‘em out!

National Geographic Traveler

http://www.nationalgeographic.com/traveler/writer-guidelines.html

American Profile

http://www.americanprofile.com/aboutus/writers.asp

e-Harlequin

http://www.eharlequin.com/cms/learntowrite/ltwArticle.jhtml?pageID=021101wu00001

Pharmaceutical Executive

http://www.pharmexec.com/pharmexec/static/staticHtml.jsp?id=757

Crescent Blues

http://www.crescentblues.com/constantpages/aboutus.shtml

New Tribal Dawn

http://www.grailmedia.com/wz1/info/guidelines.html

Tickled by Thunder

http://www.tickledbythunder.com/TbT/Magazine/01_Guidelines.html

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You Speak Out: Q&A

I’m swamped. Utterly swamped. Watch for your next set of questions in next week’s special issue! We’ve got some GREAT ones coming up.

In the mean time, got questions? Send ‘em here:  http://www.filbertpublishing.com/tinc?key=TTjJjZfx&formname=question

We answer each and every freelance question in the order they come in. You get your answer in an upcoming issue of Writing Etc.

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We Recommend:

Writing For Dollars! The FREE ezine for writers featuring tips, tricks and ideas for selling what you write. Receive the FREE ebook, 83 WAYS TO MAKE MONEY WRITING when you subscribe. Email to subscribe@writingfordollars.com -*- http://www.WritingForDollars.com

WRITERS FIND MARKETS EASILY - Worldwide Freelance has a NEW fully-searchable Markets Database. Discover writing markets from North America, Europe, Australia and other places. It's free, so come and try it out here: http://www.worldwidefreelance.com

Are your book sales in a slump? http://BethAnnErickson.com

E-Mag And Web Site Owners! Did you know that Filbert Publishing has an entire cache of articles you can use FREE. Just click the “Freebie” link to your left.

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Writing Etc.

Box 326

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Maurice and Beth Erickson, Publishers

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© 2006 Filbert Publishing