Inspired to Write » Writing Resources

Vote for Your Favorite Writing Blog

Julie McElroy — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 23:31:13 +0000

What is your favorite writing blog? I would love for you to say, Inspired to Write, but I understand if you don’t. I just appreciate you stopping by to read!

One of the very first blogs I came across when I began writing online was WritetoDone. I subscribed to it and have been reading it ever since. I posted my interview with Leo Babauta, one of the blog owners, several months ago because of his inspiration.

Each year, Write to Done has created a post for readers to vote for the Best Writing Blog. This is the sixth year the contest has been running.

My blog has not been a winner, and even though it would be great to be nominated, I know there are dozens of helpful writing blogs.

Which ones do you read?

GO ahead and nominate your favorite writing blog today!! Hurry! The votes have to be in by December 10th!

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.

Creative Ways to Get Writing Clients Using Fiverr

Julie McElroy — Mon, 12 Sep 2011 17:32:07 +0000

Fiverr.com (Image via CrunchBase)

Getting new clients for your freelance writing business is a never-ending task; you have to constantly market yourself. As you become an established freelance writer, new clients will find you via word of mouth. However, in the beginning, you may have to use your creative skills and tap into different marketing sources. Sometimes, this means, you will have to lower your rates.

I know it seems to be a contradiction in my last blog post about writing for slave wages. However, if you are strategic in your methods and your name is attached to your writing, writing for less money is not a bad option. This is especially true for those writers with a short client list.

One of the ways to do this is with Fiverr.com. What? Write an article for $5?!? I know this seems like slave wage, but if you do it the right way, you may make a little extra cash, establish yourself as a writer, and pick up a few clients. Freelance Writer, Jennn Fusion did this exact thing. She is not the only one. Other freelance writers make $1000-$2000 month doing gigs on Fiverr. If you write on a topic that doesn’t require a lot of research, this won’t be a difficult job.

Offer Just Enough for a Taste of Your Writing

I am not suggesting that you use Fiverr as your only source for finding clients. Truthfully, most of the users of Fiverr.com don’t have a large budget, which is why they are shopping on Fiverr. However, other people may go there as a way to “test the waters” before they hire a freelance writer. You never know who is lurking around Fiverr, so always put in your best effort. I have landed a few clients from Fiverr.com by placing a few select gigs on the site.

Be clear in your gig. If you will only write up to 300 words, state that. If you want them to contact you ahead of time to review the article topic first – put that in your gig.

By setting up an easy gig with a lower word count, you can give buyers a taste of your writing. After you complete a gig, include a small note telling them about your “premium services.” Fiverr does not allow you to provide contact information. To get around this, be sure and have a link to your freelance website in your bio. If they really like your services, they will find you.

Cleaning Up House and Refocusing

Julie McElroy — Thu, 01 Sep 2011 14:36:27 +0000

As you try to figure out your life’s direction, you end up going down different rabbit trails; often various things get left on the trail that need to be cleaned up or cleared off. This applies to any off the beaten paths you travel on your online journey.

In Internet marketing, it is a given that you will have tried various eBooks, purchased tons of PLR, domain names, and even created niche websites you no longer need or want. I am no exception to the rule. I “tried on” Internet marketing in the most basic sense.

It is true that in general if you are marketing online, you are an “Internet marketer.” However, when most people think of Internet marketing, they associate the term with affiliate marketing, cheap eBooks, and niche websites. There will be a lot of sales letters, opt-ins, and one-time offers involved. Not that this is a bad thing. Some people are quite successful with it. But the majority fail due to lack of direction, focus, and knowledge.

Have a Plan, Stick to it, and You can Be Successful

If you are someone who has a plan and you are good at Internet marketing, you can make a lot of money. There are plenty of successful people who make pretty serious cash online. But those people had more than an idea – they had a business plan. Instead of purchasing tactic after tactic, they set forth a real strategy. And then, followed it. What is your strategy? Do you have one? Do you have a real business plan?

Making money online is something most people do feet first without a plan. Every product that floods their inbox sounds like the sure thing. So, we buy it. And we buy the next sure thing and the next until our hard drive is filled with sure things and money making ideas. This is a common newbie mistake that many people make.

I am no exception.

I thought I wanted to get into niche marketing and so I bought in to this for several months. I didn’t really have a plan, I just was going to get into niche marketing somehow. I did tons of keyword research and bought domain names that I never used. I also built a few websites with lots of content. I soon discovered it was not something I wanted to do. It was all very time consuming.

Now, these sites just sit.

Websites for Sale

Instead of just sitting, I am selling them. As is. Original content, custom graphics, Thesis theme, affiliate products, premium plugins, and more. The content alone is worth hundreds of dollars.

Domains for Sale

These are domain names for sale only – but you can create your own websites with them and do what you want.

DiscountShoppingCorner.com
RealInternetBusinessOpportunities.com
HealthyLifeStuff.com
MoreMarketingProfits.com
CampingShopsExpress.com
EssenceWebConsulting.com
GymEquipmentInfo.com

Both the websites and domains are in my footer as well.

If you are interested and are ready to commit to real online success, please contact me.

SEO Tools for Your Business

Julie McElroy — Sat, 27 Aug 2011 17:13:12 +0000

Lately, I have been getting questions from small business owners about SEO tools. Although Google has changed the playing field on SEO tactics, there is still a need to optimize your site for search engines. As a blog owner and writer, I focus on content more than anything. However, if you are trying to sell products or services on your site, you will have a different plan for your web business. Content is still important, but there are more elaborate SEO techniques to consider.

As I mentioned in a previous post on out-dated SEO, the old ways of keyword stuffing and any old backlink is not a valid SEO method anymore. Especially if you are a legitimate business with legitimate customers. Google has gotten smarter and I am sure the other search engines are following suit.

When you look for SEO tool for your business, it pays to do your research. Since SEO is such a hot topic, there are a variety of websites claiming to be “SEO experts.” While I am not an SEO expert, I know quite a bit about SEO since I am a web developer and do create content for the multiple blogs I own.

I still think it is always important to put up quality content. No matter how the algorithm changes over the upcoming years, search engines will never look down on quality. If anything, it will become more important.

But you may be looking for more because you also need traffic to get people to your website. Otherwise, all the best content in the world will be irrelevant to customers.

SEO Tools to Consider

An SEO service that seems like a promising all-in-one service is SEO Samba. It is a simple and intuitive bundle of Internet marketing software that makes it easy to create a search engine optimized (SEO) site. The domain has been in existence since 2007 and the site is a PR 4. So, this is not a site that just popped up last week. This is just one of the things to look for.

If you are looking for an eCommerce site, partnering with SEO Samba is the new SEOTOASTER, a shopping cart allows online stores to function with unparalleled ease, and is coupled with the most advanced out of the box search engine optimization feature set found in the website builder market today.

Other considerations for SEO services is the reputation and ethics of the website owner along with information about the site. Having a trial period and a money back guarantee is also a positive for this service.

In a nutshell, SEO Samba automatically executes all on-site SEO techniques and provides access to automated off-site link building tactics and more. As part of the services, they distribute your information to the web, RSS directories, and specialized search engines such as Google News. They also distribute unlimited optimized press releases automatically.

“Our priority is helping small e-merchants achieve high visibility with search engines. This goal is part of all the product’s facets including the shopping cart and our integration of micro-format into SEOTOASTER to entice Google to display rich snippets for your website’s products listings.” says Michel Leconte, SEO Samba’s CEO.

All in all, SEO Samba knows what works, and provides simple, effective solutions to clients.

If this a need you have, SEO Samba may be the right choice for your business.

The Dreaded Query Letter

Julie McElroy — Tue, 16 Aug 2011 13:17:48 +0000

There are people (probably not writers) who think that writing is writing. If you can write a technical manual, it must be simple to knock out a sonnet or a screenplay. Oh, how I wish that were true. Sure, it can be learned, but generally writers find a niche they like or have some natural talent for. Why go against the grain when being a writer is hard enough as it is?

Comparing low-pay article writing to commercial writing, Peter Bowerman, author of The Well-Fed Writer, wrote in an email to me:

the relation to the .01-a-word writing world is about like McDonald’s relation to THE top-drawer steakhouse in a major metro. They both sell beef but that’s where the similarity ends.

Putting it bluntly. It is true that writing does come in all shapes and flavors. So, I guess it should not be too surprising to learn that writers can have writer’s block when it comes to different writing styles.

When you want to write for a magazine or publish a book, you may need to send a letter to an editor or literary agent in hopes of publication via your best sales pitch.

AKA: The Query Letter.

Why is the Query Letter Something to Dread?

For many people (including myself) the thought of sending a query letter to a editor is quite scary. Like sweaty palms scary. To an outsider, that seems ironic on the surface. Ummm…the inability to write a letter to sell your writing. That is almost akin to a pilot being afraid of heights or a nurse who doesn’t like needles. Okay, I guess that happens, too. But once you think about for a second, you will realize it is much more complicated. The reason it is hard is because it is your one chance to make a first impression. Excuse the cliche.

A query letter is less about writing and more about sales.

You have to sell yourself. Stand out in the crowd. Typically, writers are introverts. This is not always true, but think J. D. Salinger and ghostwriting for a minute. I am not saying I or other writers are anti-social recluses, but selling ourselves is not typically our strong points. Otherwise, we’d be in marketing or sales.

When you send a query off to an editor, you have to make him or her believe that your article or book is something worth investing in, literally and metaphorically. With tons of letters coming across their desk, you simply have to stand out. The basic Supply and Demand concept.

This is why it is dreaded. Getting your foot in the door can be the hardest part. Okay, so put on a sales hat and off you go, right?

Query Letters are Avoided Because of A Fear of Rejection

A query letter has a strong possibility of getting rejected – especially if it is your first one, and you don’t know what the heck you are doing. Combine this with the sales pitch that doesn’t always align with a writer’s personality, and some writers will just avoid it all together.

I have been doing that for awhile now. I thought I could make enough writing online and ghostwriting. Then the Google Panda monster came, and life has never been the same. So, it looks like my elephant in the room needs to be addressed and I may have to sit down and write a query letter.

Get Advice from the Experts on Query Letters

One of the first things you can do before you even think about shotgunning a bunch of query letters out is look to the experts. Find a website or books on writing query letters. I finally bought Guide to Query Letters to help me on this journey. The book gives you the low-down on query letters (with a sense of humor to make it interesting) and a bunch or good and not-so-good examples. This is a helpful addition for those who like samples.

I am hoping this book will help me crawl out the safe writer’s shell and put myself out there. I am not saying this is ALL I will be focusing on. But, it is another avenue as a writer. With freelance writing, you have to be a jack of all trades, even within your own niche. So, in some ways writing IS writing – even if you have to read a whole book on how to do it!

If you are struggling with query letters, I would love to hear your comments. Or if you are a query writing expert, please take a minute and offer some advice for the rest of the scaredy cats.

Old SEO is DEAD! Please Stop Using it!

Julie McElroy — Tue, 26 Jul 2011 18:05:53 +0000

I have some bad news…

Traditional SEO is dead!

Watching the changes on the Internet in the last couple years, I have seen so many websites go up and nothing happens to them. I myself have put up websites because I thought I would get into niche affiliate marketing. I decided not to. In the meantime, these sites are online and not much happens to them. Little traffic, little sales.

People are using old SEO tactics, thinking they can put up a site, do some on site SEO, and watch traffic come trickling in.

Today, it is even more difficult to get ranked for sites!

Search Engine Optimization has changed!

I have also seen people creating websites with a bunch of horrible content overstuffed with keywords in order to try and rank their site. Quality is becoming more and more important, but people still try and use old SEO tactics. I just shake my head when I see many of these sites.

As a writer, I am ashamed of the poor content, and as an Internet marketer I am embarrassed at their lack of current knowledge.

In another post I wrote a few months ago, I discussed some great tools I use for keyword research. One of the tool I have mentioned (and that you see in the sidebar) is Market Samurai. I don’t promote too many products here, but this is one I find very useful. It is not only useful as a tool itself, but the owners of the tool, Noble Samurai, stay on top of the latest with SEO.

SEO is changing constantly and it is quite difficult to stay on top of it all.

If you’ve tried to do any SEO lately, you’ll have noticed that it’s getting pretty HARD (almost impossible) to get a page 1 ranking… even for “easy” keywords!

If you’re still using the “traditional” techniques for ranking your website and you DON’T change what you’re doing …then you’re headed straight for search engine oblivion.

What’s going on?

Noble Samurai has created a free video series (yes FREE) that walks you through what SEO professionals do TODAY to snap up position #1 rankings for any keyword they can think of. All you need is to put in your email and you will have access to the videos. These SEO Pros have the confidence to rank for the most profitable, most competitive keywords on the planet! When you watch the videos you’ll understand why.

Watch it now. You’ll be glad you did. It takes just a minute to sign up.

Creating a Resume as a Writer

Julie McElroy — Tue, 14 Jun 2011 15:37:30 +0000

As a freelance writer, I am looking far and wide for new clients. With all the resources out there for writing jobs, I have discovered a few job postings that request a resume. I would understand if a company wanted to hire you on their staff as a journalist, but it seems odd to require a resume for freelance work.

While these postings are not as common as those who only request writing samples or a query letter, I decided having a resume as a freelance writer is probably a good idea in today’s competitive market. Should have been easy enough, right?

Writing a Resume

As I began the task of creating a resume, I realized that talking about yourself and summing up your work history on one page is not as easy as it sounds. As a matter of fact, it was difficult.

I put it off for a long time and just avoided those jobs that required a resume. But, it kept coming back as an unavoidable hurdle. It may seem ironic that a writer would have a difficult time writing a resume. But, I have learned that a resume writer is much different than an article or blog writer.

I considered looking at hiring a resume writer not only for my freelance career, but for my career outside of writing. While my plans are to continue to be a professional writer, I should have a backup if it doesn’t work out – an updated resume ready to go.

The fees for this type of writing may seem rather high. However, I know what it is like to make a living as a writer, and I understand the work that goes into this type of writing. In the end, it s probably worth it if you have been struggling to find a job.

You may have a stellar resume ready to go. Or you may have an “okay” resume on your hard drive. But in this economy and job market, I think this is one piece of writing that one should not skimp on.

Sell Writing Services on Fiverr Clone: WriteSwap

Julie McElroy — Sat, 14 May 2011 18:16:10 +0000

If you have not heard of Fiverr, it is basically a website where people can find services and products for only five dollars. The gigs vary from creating videos, writing, advertising, graphics, fun/silly stuff, and more. There is a lot more to it, if you want to get a great overview and tips for using Fiverr, check out Fiverr Goldrush.

As a buyer, Fiverr is a great place to outsource the things you don’t like to do. As a seller, it is also a great place to market yourself and give people a taste of what you do. For example, if you are a graphic designer, you could offer one small banner. If the buyer loves it, you can tell them about your graphic design website to get more business. This is just one example. It works with writing, too.

The downside of Fiverr is it is not a way to make a lot of money since after the $1 fee they take out, you are left with $4. There are lots of Fiverr clones out there as well. One of these is WriteSwap. WriteSwap is relatively new, so you won’t see a ton of traffic yet. But, it is starting to catch on. The cool thing is you can charge whatever you want for your writing services.

Here are the pros and cons of each site.

Fiverr

Pros:

Gets tons of traffic
Can do any gig you want

Cons:

Very low pay
Can only sell things for $5 (no less, no more)
Difficult to get gig without any feedback

WriteSwap

Pros:

Can charge whatever you like
Better rates for your services
Focuses on writing

Cons:

Not a lot of traffic
Difficult to get gig without any feedback

Both Sites (Pros)

Great place to find outsourcing
A way to build up business
Access to feedback for testimonials
Easy to set up

If you are looking for ways to break into freelance writing, Fiverr or WriteSwap may be great options for you.

Fiverr Gig for PLR Articles (limitedplrproducts.com)

How the Panda Update Opened Up New Doors

Julie McElroy — Wed, 20 Apr 2011 13:11:21 +0000

Google's Panda Update - Image via Wikipedia

I am sure by now, you have all heard of Google’s Panda update which affected many of the Web 2.0 sites, specifically content sites like Suite 101 and eZine Articles. If you have not, check out some of the related articles below.

While Google’s updated algorithm has been touted to target “content farms,” I have not seen a drastic change in some of my content earnings, UNTIL NOW. Specifically Suite 101 profits.

Before I even started noticing the decrease in earnings from Suite, I have been on the fence about writing for them anymore since the ratio of effort to earning was pretty sad.

If you have not noticed I have been venting my concerns about earnings on Suite 101 over the last few months. For the amount of time that goes into writing an article with their specific editorial guidelines, I just was not seeing much return. Not only that, but I have just been dissatisified in general with writing rates online and all the junk out there from the penny a word content writing. That’s the bad news.

So What is the Good News?

Between the low-paying writing gigs and the Panda update, I began looking elsewhere. The first thing I did was create a new freelance writing website to offer my services. While most of my portfolio is from these content sites, I had to start somewhere. Then, I decided to turn over a new leaf by looking in other places for freelance work. I have done this a couple ways.

I am not sure if you have heard of Fiverr, but essentially it is a marketplace that is filled with sellers that will do anything for $5. I mean anything. I hesitated for a long time to put a gig up there for writing because it seems like another ridiculous payment for my writing.

But Isn’t a $5 Article a Low-Paying Gig?

Yes, it is. But, here is the the beauty of putting up a gig on Fiverr. It is awesome publicity and a great way to market yourself. I have not been on there very long, so I have not seen too many offers – YET. But, you set the price and product. Once you get a gig, you can advertise your “premium” services. You can also put up gigs that will only take you a few minutes to start gaining the positive feedback. Find out more on how to get started with Fiverr!

Using Interact Media for Work

The next thing I did was sign up for a freelance writing site, called Interact Media where there is no bidding but you accept ghostwriting jobs that only you want! You will have to submit a writing sample. Take your time with this writing sample as it will determine your rating (1-5 stars). Obviously, the more stars, the better paying writing gigs. Once you start doing work, your rating can go up. I started with a 4 stars right out the gate. The writing jobs are not super high-paying, but more than a penny a word!

The bottom line is you take your writing career where you want. There are opportunities out there – but you have to LOOK! Don’t let Google scare you away – the Panda update actually helped me look for better paying jobs. Quality content looks “good” in search engine’s eyes. That means more people will be looking for quality content. If you can create quality content, that means more opportunities for you . That is the good news!

Google Panda Algorithm Update (And Related Stories)- A Roundup (webpronews.com)
Panda Update: HubPages Asks Google Why YouTube Gets Away With Softer Content Policy (webpronews.com)
Panda Update.Thanks, lesson learned! (mwd.com)