Inspired to Write » Creativity

Writing Prompts Based on Death, the Afterlife, and Celebration of Life

Hannah Conti — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 12:16:18 +0000

Editor’s Note: This is a guest post from Hannah Conti. Please read more about Hannah in the footer.

Death continues to be a virtually inexhaustible source of inspiration for writers. The mystery of the afterlife (or lack thereof), the fear of death, ghosts or spirits, spiritual battles, and so on continue as popular literary themes.

These are not subjects to be limited to thrillers and teen-aged vampire books; reconciling oneself with death, loss, and spirituality has been central to many famous writers’ lives and works in general. Memoirs, works on spirituality, dramatic works of fiction, and more can all contain pieces of these somewhat existential themes. Death is not necessarily a “creepy” topic.

In the USA, and many other countries, October 31st has become a commercialized day (or should I say night?) of ghouls and skeletons. Countless Halloween stores pop up all around my town during the month of October. Kids dress up in costumes, consume tons of candy, and perhaps watch a thriller or two. For the more rowdy bunch, pranks may be involved as well as late-night parties. However, Halloween was not always a 24 hour period of plastic masks and sugar highs.

Halloween History

Halloween has its roots in the Celtic pagan traditions of Samhain, an ancient harvest celebration that was joyful as well as somewhat full of fear. The day marked the end of summer and the longer days of winter; it was on that evening of Samhain that the dead were able to mingle with the living. Thus, the custom of masks and disguises became common so the living could “trick” the evil spirits that roamed the earth on that evening.

In the Catholic Church, “All Hallows’ Eve” (“Hallow” meaning saint) meant the spiritual preparation for the feast of All Saints’ day on November 1st. That day is a celebration of the lives of holy men and women who have died: both the formally recognized saints who have been canonized by the Church (papally declared) and the many unknown, Godly people of the world.

November 2nd is also a Catholic Feast day, the feast of “All Souls.” This day is dedicated to praying for the faithfully departed who are currently in Purgatory, being cleansed of all venial sin. In Mexico, Spain, and hispanic countries, this day is called “Día de los Muertos.” Families and friends gather to feast, dance, build family altars, visiting cemeteries, decorating houses with colorful skeletons and banners, and participating in local parades.

Each community has different and unique traditions for this holiday. However, the Día de los Muertos remains a day to truly celebrate the lives and traditions of the past. With all the dancing and feasting, the day is also very much a celebration of life.

In the Catholic tradition, these feasts of the Church seek to remind Christians of their mortality and the vanity and ephemeral qualities of earthly life. These feasts are lessons that look to the past for inspiration and to the future for heavenly reward.

Writer’s Halloween Inspiration

You may be wondering how this history lesson can inspire writers. I have created a list of ideas that sprang to my mind while reviewing this week’s upcoming events.

1. Create a story that contains a modern-day example of a spiritual battle (your story may or may not involve a particular religion or philosophy). However, create a believable fantasy that focuses on a spiritual war. Who conquers? How do they win? What are the repercussions? For an unusual perspective on spiritual warfare, read C.S. Lewis’ Screwtape Letters.

2. Write a memoir from the perspective of someone who is dead. Is the narrator aware of what is going on Earth, in time? Is the protagonist in heaven, hell, purgatory? Somewhere else? Nowhere? Does the narrator have physical form? Does the protagonist have a message, warning, or assignment to accomplish for the living?

3. Describe a death, funeral, morgue, or wake from a unique perspective: the family dog, the garbage collector, the homeless woman, or the ceiling.

4. Use a physical symbol of death in a story. This can be a skeleton, skull, whatever you can think of. Does this symbol amuse, frighten, or warn the characters? Is it a coincidence or sign from someone/something? Does the thought of death remind the characters to reform their lives or to find as much debauchery? Is the choice satisfying? Perhaps you may want to use some of the color, food, and religious symbolism stemming from the Día de los Muertos or Celtic traditions.

5. Write a story describing the actions of a character that has a strong phobia of something – but do not reveal the subject of the fear until the end of the story (or do not reveal it at all). Help the reader to experience the physical and mental sensations of fear.

6. Examine the duality in the Mexican celebration of the Día de los Muertos, a celebration of life and the lives of the dead. Perhaps you would like to explore the personification of death in Mexico as Santa Muerte. If death is an absence of life, what would a personification of death be like.

7. Write a letter to a (fictional or non-fictional) loved one who has died. Or recount a story that illustrates this loved one’s life philosophy. Is the example a joyful remembrance? A difficult memory to relive? Why?

More Resources:

An excellent resource for learning more about Día de los Muertos in the American Southwest and Mexico.

“Day of the Dead” – by AzCentral website – links and articles.

All Souls Day - by American Catholic website

Church Year - information on Catholic feastdays

Note: all my links in this article are in the public domain/copyright free, but please give proper credit to all sites.

Update on “Calling all Freelance Writers” Book

Julie McElroy — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 12:35:04 +0000

Writing (courtesy @hashmil)

Some of you (especially the contributors) may be wondering the status of my book, Calling All Freelance Writers. It is moving forward, but it won’t be ready for publication until early next year. I just ask for your patience!!

Last week, I sat down and read all of the interviews in print form. I attempted to do it online, but I wanted it in front of me, in print.

I took notes in the margin for questions I have, ideas for the book, and comments to myself. Just by sitting down for a few hours and reading all those responses, I, myself, felt enlightened. So much valuable advice!

Although I detected some common themes threaded throughout all of the interview responses, perspectives existed across the entire spectrum.

Writing the Book

I created an outline. I also began my first chapter and my last. There are some random thoughts that will end up in the middle somewhere. I know some left-brained people would shutter at the thought of that illogical order. But us right-brained writers don’t always think (or write) logically.

When the idea of this book first formed in my mind, I thought I would just compile all the interviews into one book and hit print. Since then, I decided I want to add my own perspectives and have other writers “back me up” with their own experiences. This creates a better flow, and produces more of book instead of just a compilation of interviews.

Since some of the responses were similar, it also didn’t make sense to just “cut and paste” the interviews. Instead, I want to pull out what I believe are the important and relevant messages.

All of the writers who will be in this book will have their full bio placed in the end of the book. By setting it up this way, instead of mixing the bios in with the book, it avoids disruption of the book. It also provides an easy reference for each writer’s bio.

Now for the bad news. . .

Some of the interview responses were detailed and verbose (the more, the better) and very helpful, and other responses were basically one or two word answers.

While I appreciate the inputs from each of you, some of the writers’ responses just did not provide enough substance to be included. I apologize, but I can’t squeeze water out of a rock.

I will be contacting a few of the writers for clarification, questions, or comments. I will also let the writers who I have excluded know, so they are not wondering what happened to their input. If these writers do want to add more, I would definitely welcome it, and keep them on the book’s free distribution list!

The Finishing Updates

Once the book is complete, I will obviously have to edit it, and get it published. I should probably not even think about editing and publishing until I get the book complete. But once again, creatives don’t always think in logical steps.

Editing

I am currently seeking professional editors for the book. A few editors have contacted me, but the more I have to choose from, the better.

The worst thing that can happen is I write the book, publish it, and find out there are typos and grammar mistakes! AHHH! I don’t plan on skipping that step, but my budget will also dictate when that will fit in.

Graphics

In between editing and publishing will be the design work. The good news is many of the self-publishing businesses include custom cover design in their packages. Therefore, this should not be too much of any issue unless I decide to go completely POD, by myself (doubtful).

Publishing

As far as publishers, I have a couple in mind. This will be a self-published book. This book is targeted to a small niche – freelance writers, so I am not interested in “traditional” publishing. (I am no Stephen King after all.) There will be an electronic (Kindle and Nook) version and paperback copy which I will sell on my own website and on CallingAllFreelanceWriters.com.

I read The Fine Print of Self-Publishing by Mark Levine (highly recommend if you are self-publishing) which has helped me a TON in choosing a publisher.

Thoughts on the Book

Between reading Linked In discussions, blog posts, and other media conversations, I realize this book is needed. Hopefully, it will open the eyes of writers who are struggling and think it is impossible to succeed.

This book makes no guarantees of success, but presents insight into the minds’ of successful writers. That should not only inspire writers, but give them hope that it can be done.

It is up to the writer on how to use that advice. It is ALWAYS up to the writer.

Calling All Freelance Writers (inspiredtowrite.com)
Writing eBook

The Loss of A Great Legend in the Tech World

Julie McElroy — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 04:58:11 +0000

The Man Behind the Apple (Image via CrunchBase)

Steve Jobs will be one of those names that will be in history books and museums for years to come. Great inventors of our time.

We may not know the full extent of it now, but he will be a true legend from our century. Forty years from now, iPod’s will be on display at the Smithsonian. The iPad and the iPhone will be right alongside it on the Wall of Jobs.

Today that legend took his last breath. He was 56 years old.

At 21 years of age, Steve Jobs launched a company that is now a household name. He continued to impress people with his new iVentions over the years, convincing people they could not live without a device that they somehow were living without before.

He was creative. He was smart. He was a marketing and engineering genius. Steve Jobs is the creator of products that many households own at least one of.

I own a MacBook.

I own an iPod.

I use iTunes.

Yes, Steve Jobs has affected my day to day life.

I make my living as a writer using his computer. I keep in shape by running to the sound of music I downloaded from his software onto his MP3 Player.

Although, his products are handy, Mr. Jobs impresses me most with his marketing skills, his genius, and his inspiration.

In a 2005 speech to Standford University graduates, he told them this:

“Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do.”

We all should take this to heart. Fight for your passion and follow your dreams. Your happiness is depending on it.

He will be missed. But remembered by all the technology he left behind.

This video, courtesy of CNN.com sums up the innovative and passionate soul of Steve Jobs.

Express Your Creative Side on a T-Shirt

Julie McElroy — Mon, 22 Aug 2011 15:36:06 +0000

T-shirt Design

Not all creatives are created equal. While I know of people who can play an instrument, paint, write, and take amazing photos, many creative people are not the jack of all trades. I think this is especially true with writers. We claim to master the art of creative writing, but can’t do much more than draw really good stick figures. At least this is true for me.

In addition, some creatives have an eye for graphic design, yet can’t take a paintbrush to canvas and create a masterpiece.

There are all types of creative people looking for an outlet to express themselves. For writers, it can be a blog or articles or a book. For graphic designers, the list is endless, especially for online work. Headers, banners, advertising, newsletters, logos, and more.

However, what about displaying your work offline? There are brochures, flyers, and corporate design work. But, sometimes creativity is limited when the product will be on the header of a large corporation.

The T-shirt canvas

For graphic designers who want a little more creative freedom, and want to display their art on canvas, what about creating design work on t-shirts? Graphic design is not one of my strengths, but I have seen some creative t-shirt designs for companies, non-profits, and charity events. Even political statements. Really, the t-shirt becomes your canvas.

Having your design on a t-shirt offers a great way to advertise your work, or just have fun creating different type of designs. Even if you are not a professional designer, Streetshirts, based out of the UK, allows you to express your creative side and design your own t-shirt.

Make the t-shirt as simple or elaborate as you want. I spend a few minutes there playing around with designs and text. Really, the options are endless.

It offers another creative outlet for visual artists. Not everyone gets a chance to show off their work. Here’s a way to wear it so everyone can see.

Writing Reflections, Updates, and Projects…

Julie McElroy — Mon, 01 Aug 2011 13:08:12 +0000

Ahhh… life as a freelance writer. It can often be equated to a roller coaster ride, especially the ones that you never quite know what is around the next corner. But, you just hang on tight and enjoy the ride. As a creative that has not been clinically diagnosed with ADD, my mind never seems to rest. At least not for very long.

As a writer, I have learned to focus on a few things this last year. While trying to find my way, I stumbled down dozens of roads that cost me money and time. Worse – they led to dead ends. I still meander a few steps down some luring paths, but usually not for very long. Unless, I feel it actually is the path I SHOULD be following.

Not all roads lead to nowhere.

One of the unexpected pathways of my writing career has turned into the creation of a book. A freelance writing book in the works. Another one led to higher paying gigs. My passion for travel has opened up more opportunities and I added a travel blog to ITW. Lastly, the cumulation of fruitless detours has taught me a whole heck of a lot about online marketing – and I created a web consulting business.

Whew! Sounds like a lot. It is. I’ve been busy! But, ultimately, the hard work, the wasted time, the late nights, and all the frustrations all taught me one thing – it ain’t easy being a writer! (I know “ain’t” is not the best word choice for a professional writer – but you get my point!)

So, what is the right path for a freelance writer?

El. Oh. El.

There isn’t one! This whole time I have been trying to carve myself in this little niche and I have learned, I am blazing my own path, a path that no one else has been on. That is the beauty of being in a creative field. No one tells you how to do things, no one gives you a blueprint, and no one guides you down a straight, direct path. Nope.

Yet somehow, we often feel lost.

Where is everybody? Did I miss a turn? Maybe I’m late! Am I early?

Writing may have always been my destiny, but the journey to get there certainly was not laid out for me. There have been times in the last few years I wanted to abandon the idea and live a simple life. Give it all up an get a real full-time J.O.B.

Nah!

I knew from a young age I could never work in an mundane job like a factory or punch-a-clock-9-to-5 type job. Probably why I joined the Air Force. It is just not in my blood to be ordinary. My mom certainly doesn’t live a routine life either or have a boring job. Runs in the genes. Sometimes it can be chaotic and unpredictable. I often follow rabbit trails to satisfy my curiosity.

As I move forward with all these writing projects, one thing I hope is always in focus, my love for writing. My love for expressing myself and sharing with thoughts. And hoping someone on the other end is listening. That’s what you are here for.

3 Ways to Tackle the ‘Multiple Article’ Dilemma

Chris Hoole — Wed, 29 Jun 2011 23:57:29 +0000

One of the main benefits of being a copywriter is that you are constantly faced with new and exciting challenges. Every project you are set teaches you new things about the world leaving your written style better for the experience.

Well that’s a bit of a lie really. Not all projects are fresh and exciting; in fact some are tediously dull and extended. You know the ones. You get set 50 articles to write on gardening tools and you’ve got less than a week to get them done. The sort of project that really puts your creativity and discipline to the test. If you find it tough to keep your copy original when writing multiple articles on the same topic, I have listed some of the tips I use below to enhance my creativity.

These will help to keep your copywriting fresh, and your reader entertained

Mix up your narrative voice – I am not suggesting that you start your copy in the first person and then end it in the third. By narrative voice I mean the tone, personality and rhythm of your written style. In one article you should try and be humorously sarcastic yet in another be pompously astute. This will keep every article you write distinctly unique because each one will incorporate a different aspect of your own personality. It doesn’t matter if you are talking about the same topic; if the writer has a different voice then it will make for a completely different read.

Repeatedly research to find new angles – The problem that a lot of copywriters find when faced with these multi-article projects is that they simple run out of fresh things to write about. But that can only be true if you insist on looking at a topic from only one or two angles. Let’s make an example out of the garden tools articles that I referenced to earlier. For your first few articles you might talk about the benefits of having a nicer garden, but it is possible to go deeper than that. A different angle might be to look at the power that gardening tools gives to a homeowner. It puts them back in control of their own presentation and it gives them a reason to be proud of what they have done. Remember, there is always a new angle to be found.

Play around with sentence structures – One well known, yet often under-used, technique to maintain a reader’s attention is to utilise longer complex sentences and to then stun the reader with a much shorter one. The idea works incredibly well at the end of paragraphs when you need to summarise a point and increase its impact. Trust me.

Hopefully now you’ll bear less dread when your next multi-article project comes in

The important thing to remember is that it is possible to produce multiple articles on the same topic that are genuinely helpful or entertaining to their readers. As a seo copywriter you do have the skills needed to mix up your written style and produce killer copy that is always original.

What Inspires You? Contest for Single Women

Julie McElroy — Fri, 10 Jun 2011 15:06:36 +0000

Editor’s Note: This is a contest sponsored by AOL, Jeep, and Single Edition Media. As part of their “Life is Legendary” campaign, AOL wants to reach and convey to single women that they are each pioneers in their own right, living inspired lives, exploring the world on their own terms and embracing their freedom, achievements and the journey.

Contest Rules:

Single ladies are encouraged to create their own “Inspiration Board” on the Life is Legendary site. The “Inspiration Board” is a custom destination that allows you a chance to develop an online “Inspiration Board” chronicling all the things that represent you and what you aspire to become – it’s a forum to express one’s individuality that is sharable with friends on Facebook.

What do you Win??

This is the important part. Everyone that engages with the micro-site (http://www.jeeplegendarylife.aol.com/) and creates an Inspiration Page is entered for a chance to win a random sweepstake rewarding a $50 gift card weekly, and all users are entered for a chance to win the Grand Prize, a $4500 gift card.

What Inspires Me?

I will focus here on what inspires me as a writer, what ignites my creative self.

While there are many things that can spark inspiration, it does not always come on your terms – while you are staring at a blank computer screen. Often times, inspiration comes at times that are not so convenient for a writer – meaning times when one does not have access to a computer or even pen and paper handy. Ask a writer how many great ideas were formed while taking a shower or while out for a run. But, your environment and mindset are big contributors.

Most writers are thinkers. We are always thinking, and writing is an outlet for those overflowing ideas. Instead of ignoring the thoughts bouncing around aimlessly in our heads, keeping us up at night, we write stuff down. Most creative writers express themselves best in the written word. We are typically right-brained and thrive when in the company of other write-brainers (pun intended).

I travel a lot and over the years, I am always thinking about where I want to “end up.” I decided that I need to live among artists, culture, and beauty in order to feed my mind with morsels of creativity. As I blend in with the mundane, shallow crowds marching along in predictable fashion, it leads to insipid thoughts, uninspired to create.

People in fast towns live a fast life, even if they are only passing through for a weekend. It seems when you enter a fast-paced city, your own tempo increases involuntarily, even if you intended the time to be relaxing. The monotonous routine and lack of natural art or beauty leads to a lack of spontaneous inspiration. With tall skyscrapers blocking beautiful sunsets, mountains, lakes or oceans, I feel lost in the crowd. It is difficult in this environment to make time to even acknowledge a simple sunset or butterfly. You are on a mission of destination instead of creativity.

It is not that I can’t be inspired in a big city – after all I am from Chicago and appreciate cities that are brewing with life. Different things inspire me in that environment – people, architecture, nightlife, etc. Dynamic environments filled with culture and fascinating topics or subjects are also a source of inspiration. But often times, I need to find a quiet place to let the thoughts be heard.

So, what inspires me? Anything out of the ordinary. Deep thinkers or unusual situations, art, nature, beauty, music, people. Inspiration comes when your mind is open and you are able to acknowledge the surroundings. Let the thoughts develop into meaningful ideas or stories. Ideas formulate and start to build up. Soon you must find an outlet to purge these thoughts.

We all have to live a legendary life in a fast-paced society. Whether you live in a big city or a small town, life passes you by quickly. Ladies, find a way to stand out, make a difference. Find your OWN inspiration and let everyone know about it!

Create your Inspiration Page today!

Online Business and Entrepreneurship – Which Skills Do You Need to Have?

Guest Poster — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 15:45:22 +0000

Editor’s Note: This is a guest post by Stephen L. Stephen is a guest writer for Brookside Patio Furniture which specializes in resin wicker patio furniture available for storage in this recommended Toledo storage facility.

Online Business

There are several big differences between doing business offline and doing business online. So, if you want to make the transition into the World Wide Web, you need to learn about these differences first.

Fortunately, you can still use some of the entrepreneurial skills you have been using so far, but you also need to know that these skills will be much more vital in the world of online businesses.

Here is a list of the fundamental entrepreneurial skills you will need to know:
• Making a Proper Decision
• Systemizing and Managing
• Maintaining a High Level of Confidence
• Handling Individuals
• Communicating Well
• Making Sales

The skills mentioned above are all important to doing online trade – remember that. However, the most important skill of all would be maintaining a high level of confidence. After all, any online business will require you to have a lot of confidence in order to tackle various situations; and, with it, everything will simply fall into place. Think about it: if your confidence level is high, then you will have a much easier time dealing with people online and making sales, right?

Level of Confidence:

When running a business, a client will usually approach you and tell you what he wants or choose the things that he wants himself. Either way, you will make a sale in the end. Well, the same thing happens online. Someone will visit your website, check out your merchandise, and ask you about the things that they are interested in.

The difference is that, in a normal business situation, you will be able to see your customer’s expression, so you can judge whether they are doubtful or uncertain about your product.

With an online business, however, this judgment is simply impossible. Online, you won’t be able to see your customers’ expression as you do business, so you might have a hard time figuring out how they really feel about your product. Because of this, you might then have a hard time figuring out when the best time would be to make a sale.

What you have to do to remedy this is to put yourself in your online clients’ shoes. Since they can’t see you and they don’t know much about your business, they might be worried that they won’t be able to contact you if your product ends up having a defect. This factor alone might make them hesitant to buy your products and services.

This is why confidence plays such a major role in an online business. You need to give your brand and product enough confidence, so that potential clients will trust you despite their usual unwillingness to complete a sale.

Confident or Overconfident?

Now, keep in mind that being confident and being overconfident are two completely different things. In a nutshell, being arrogant refers to promising things that are difficult or impossible to do. Being confident, on the other hand, refers to promising things that you know you can deliver. Also, true confidence comes from knowing your business, your product and your market inside and out, while mere arrogance comes from pure unawareness.

Although every online business requires confidence, it would also be important to be polite, communicate well, and explain your product to your clients properly. When it comes to confidence, though, just make sure you don’t exceed your limits and you should find yourself on the right track to achieving success in your online trade in no time.

Pride and Preciousness

Chris Hoole — Mon, 23 May 2011 15:27:09 +0000

Some writers, often deeply unsuccessful ones, can get very touchy about their work. Once they’ve written their masterpiece they can’t bear to have it criticised or touched by a tiresome editor: Changes? Revisions? Criticism? It can be enough to send them off into a darkened room for a long lie down. I once watched with fascination a room full of creative writing students, who were asked to cut one minute from a five minute script they had produced – just in case you don’t know a page of script is equal to one minutes screen time. Each student patiently and laboriously removed every ‘and’ or ‘but’ or ‘the’ or ‘a’ that they could, until they thought that they had removed a minute. All except one student that is; he simply crossed out a page and added a line of script. He now works as a scriptwriter for the BBC – the others don’t.

Having the equivalent of an editorial machete in your head is essential for successful writers. There are pieces of work that you sometimes don’t want to change or alter, but if your being paid for the piece the only question you should be asking when the client says ‘jump’ is, very simply, ‘how high?’. Copywriters, and writers in general, who understand this are usually the ones who make a living from writing.

Taking Pride in your work

If you are looking to find a copywriter to produce SEO copywriting, Blog posts or articles to promote your website there are a few things to look out for.

Basic things like spelling and grammar should not be ignored; I’ve seen writers advertising their services, with totally avoidable typo’s in their pitch. There’s not really any excuse for this kind of thing, as spell-check at least should pick up a lot of errors. To be fair, I have a difficult relationship with spell check, we don’t always agree but mostly when I’m making up new words for more creative work! For copywriting purposes good spelling and grammar are the first signs of a good writer. This is where taking pride in your work is important as a writer of any kind. Spell check is only a tool and it does miss things – mine misses loads of things because I type too quickly for my own good, and tend to put correctly spelt words in the wrong place. Reading your work through should help you spot these, proof reading and editing should become second nature to you if you work as a freelance SEO Copywriter.

Effective proof reading is not about reading for sense. You simply read each word and make sure that it’s spelt correctly. Reading for sense is best done aloud, it may make you sound a little mad, but it really is the most effective way to find difficult phrases and awkward sentences. Taking pride in your work is important, but pride should not be confused with preciousness.

Taking Preciousness out of your process

The ability to write well, whether that’s as a copywriter or any other kind of writer, is difficult to pin down. Having that editorial machete in your head is certainly part of it; as is the skill of taking an idea or a product and looking at it from an original or quirky point of view. These can be difficult skills to learn, but most people can master them given time and, more importantly, practice. Being overly precious about your work, refusing to make changes – or the inability to see that changes are necessary – is the sign of an un-skilled writer. One simple exercise to help new writers – it works for old ones too – is to take a piece you’ve written in the past and cut 25% from it. The trick of course is to try to keep the meaning and sense of the work and that’s the hard part. With time and practice this skill does come, and it’s worth taking the time as it will prove a useful tool to add to your armoury. Quite often when producing work you come up with a line you just love but it doesn’t work in the piece your writing. However much you want to keep, be brave and cut it.

You should as a copywriter, be keeping a notebook for ideas, so put it in there and keep it for another day. You’ll probably find somewhere to use it quickly, maybe even the same day. It may even form the germ of an idea that gives you a whole new piece that you can sell.

Staying grounded

There’s nothing wrong with being proud of your work as a writer but always temper your pride with a little practicality and common sense. When you produce a fantastic piece and a client asks you to change it, don’t head off to that darkened room. One piece of advice I took to heart a long time ago was something I read in a biography by the (brilliant) Canadian writer Margaret Atwood. She quite simply wrote: ‘S/he who writes and makes it pay – lives to write another day’! It’s a nice quote, cut it out and stick it above your computer. It works wonders!

Patience, Perseverance, and Passion are Requirements for a Writer

Julie McElroy — Thu, 28 Apr 2011 14:12:40 +0000

When you start to look at yourself as a professional writer (i.e. one who earns money for the craft), you will realize that in the beginning it can be a bit daunting and not very lucrative. It takes more than raw talent to start earning a paycheck. While there may be those who hit it big right out of the gate, that is rarely true with anyone in the creative arts.

How do you make money as a writer?

Well, I have learned in the last few years as a freelance writer that there are many qualities outside of skill that will make you money.

The truth is there are those making money with little skill, but will work for slave wages. Then, there are those with beautiful skills but don’t market themselves, never catch that first motivating break, and simply give up. My post about not having an American Idol for writers addresses the latter group. Getting recognized is not always easy.

While skill is a critical part to make a serious living, here are three important traits I think a writer should have to ever make significant money from writing. I will call them the three P’s – patience, passion, and perseverance.

Patience is a Virtue in Writing, Too

Since writing is a slow earning process, it can try your patience. When you see the pennies trickle in each day from your writing or get that whopping $10 for an article, it can be very disheartening, not too mention barely a blip on your back account or divot in your bills.

Understanding this prolonged path to riches is key to making it as a writer. As I mentioned, there will be those minor group of people who fall into the overnight success category, this is generally not the case.

I would suggest that 95% of writers will either deal with rejection, low pay, writer’s block, not be taken serious, or creative exhaustion. Or all of the above. Sure, this is some made up statistic, but probably close to accurate. When you have those odds stacked against you, it can be tiresome. When you come across someone in that 5% category it can really try your patience even more.

But, if you hang in there, you will catch that break. In time.

Speaking of hanging in there….

Keep on Trodding Along

When your patience is tried and you are still not seeing any substantial income, it may be tempting to give in and give up at making a living as a writer. VERY tempting. Some of these thoughts may go through your head:

The competition is just too much.
I have no experience except my silly blog.
Low paying gigs are taking over and high-paying jobs have disappeared.
Who would hire me?
This is too hard.
I have no creative energy left.
People think my writing is some sort of hobby and laugh behind my back.
I don’t know where to find jobs.
No one really makes a living as a full-time writer, unless they write a book.
I should just get a real job and give up on this crazy dream.

I just came up with these statements – not like I ever thought them myself. Are any of these true for you? Are many of them true? If none of these thoughts have ever crossed your mind – maybe you are in that elite 5%. If you have thought one or more of these, welcome to the majority. But, giving up will mean you will NEVER make is as a writer. Perseverance is key here!

I Have to Love to Write??

This sounds like a obvious thing, but if you don’t love to write, it will be hard for you to make a living from it. Many writers may THINK they love to write, but writing for money is a LOT different. It means you may have to write things you don’t want to write. Can you imagine?

You may get assignments on topics you don’t really care to write about. You may have to follow strict guidelines. You will have to write A LOT. You may have to write for FREE to build up a portfolio, samples, resume, etc. Did I mention that you will have to write a lot? Just checking. Because this point is important.

If you don’t have these three skills – you chances are lower that you will be a successful freelance writer. There may be other important traits as well. But, this is a short list of adjectives to identify traits of a freelance writer.

Let me know your thoughts in the comments on these or other qualities you think a writer should have!

You CAN Make A Real Living as a Freelance Writer (inspiredtowrite.com)
Where are the High Paying Writing Jobs? (inspiredtowrite.com)
Do People Take Writers Seriously? (inspiredtowrite.com)