WritingThoughts

©iStock.com/PepitoPhotos

By Leslie A. Joy

Whether you’re a professional writer or just someone writing a blog, time is of the essence. The faster that you write, the more content you can turn out, the more money you can make, and the more time you’ll have for other things.

Isn’t more time something we all want?

Here are a few tips that have helped me significantly speed up my writing time.

[Read more →]

©iStock.com/koinseb

Words are powerful.

As a writer, I’m very aware of the power of words. Words can heal. Words can hurt. Words can incite anger or joy.

Since I use words for a living I love the fact that they can be so powerful. But, my profession is also why it’s all too easy for me to get too caught up in the power of words–too easy for me to forget that words are sometimes not enough.
[Read more →]

©iStock.com/pagadesign

Many so-called gurus feel that blogging is dying or has been made redundant by social media participation.

You can see the “evidence” of this if you look at the number of comments blog posts now receive as compared to a few years ago. Even on the very popular blogs, comments are down drastically.

If you’re a freelance writer who maintains a blog, you’ve probably already felt the effects of declining comments on your own blog.

[Read more →]

©iStock.com/Massonstock

Miscommunication–It’s the bane of every good writer, yet all too often it happens. What would you say if I told you that many communication problems that writers face could be traced to five common causes?

You’d want to know those causes, wouldn’t you? Well, so did I–so I developed this list of problems that cause miscommunication. If you’ve ever had someone misunderstand your writing, you’ll want to see if one of these culprits is the cause.
[Read more →]

©iStock.com/esolla

Recently, some folks have announced that they were replacing their blogs with social media participation. Is this a good idea for freelance writers? Can social media replace your blog?

Chris Brogan shared this excellent post on the topic and while Chris makes many good points, I’d like to address the topic specifically from a writer’s point of view. If you have a writing blog, you’ll probably want to chip in with your own opinion on the matter at the end of this post. 🙂
[Read more →]

©iStock.com/cogal

For the past few days, I’ve been using Google+, which (in case you haven’t been following the tech news) is Google’s much anticipated entry into social media.

I’d never call myself a social media expert, but I do use social media as a tool to help market my freelance writing business and share my blogging efforts. So, when Google+ became available to me I decided to take a look.

[Read more →]

Writing is not a nine to five job.

There are many jobs that allow you to go in each morning, do a day’s work, and then go home in the evening without giving your job a second thought.

Writing is not one of them.
[Read more →]

©iStock.com/TommL

What holds freelance writers (and especially new writers) back?

It’s a fact that many new writers do not live up to their potential as a writer. Even experienced writers sometimes fail to meet their true potential. (Of course, few writers want to admit this fact, let alone discuss it.)

Writers not living up to their potential is a serious problem. It’s a problem that can derail a freelancing career. Fortunately, it’s also a problem with a solution.

I’m convinced that the answer to this problem is accountability.
[Read more →]

©iStock.com/firebrandphotography

Headline after headline proclaims the sad news–writing skills are deteriorating.

Blame the texting. Blame social media. Blame the schools. Blame whoever or whatever you want–it doesn’t really matter. The facts are the same.

The sad truth is that if you can’t write well you’ll have fewer opportunities in life. Communication skills are key to success.

[Read more →]

©iStock.com/william87

If you’re a writer, or just own a business with an online component, you’ve probably heard the following adage–publish or perish?

The premise behind the popular phrase is that publishing content is good and that publishing frequently is the best way to survive in the crowded Internet marketplace.

It’s a catchy saying, but is it true?
[Read more →]