Writer Advice - Blog Posts

Oh nice! I want to share this with fellow writers, and I'll be saving it for myself as well.

8 Proofreading Tricks (That Save Valuable Time)

In this post, Writers Write reveals simple proofreading tricks to improve any manuscript or draft.

What I’ve Learned As A Freelance Writer

Hello, hello, helloooo. I hope you’re all doing well. :) I’ve been freelance writing for over 10 years, and I thought I’d share what I’ve learned as a freelance writer.

Don’t Put All Your Eggs In One Basket I’ve seen websites go under, and I’ve had clients disappear on me. It used to send me into panic mode, but I’ve learned not to put all my eggs in one basket. Now, I always make sure I’m on enough writing teams and keeping in touch with my regular clients. I also bookmark other freelance/content writing websites to research as needed. Always Do Your Research Sometimes, a writing website sounds too good to be true because it IS too good to be true. Whether it’s for blogging or content writing, you should always research a website and/or ask for opinions before diving right in. At least that’s what I do. Don’t Be Afraid To Try Something New Even though I had an account for years, it took me until 2018/2019 to even post a gig on Fiverr. It was different from the websites I’m used to, so I wasn’t ready until then. I’m glad I made that leap because that’s where I land some of my writing clients. The same can also be said for joining new writing teams and websites, or taking on a new client. If it’s possible and legit, do not be afraid to take the leap because it could lead to something great. However, Learn When To Say No When my Fiverr gigs started picking up traction, I would try to do anything. If I didn’t feel qualified? I’d turn it down. If I was already swamped with work? I would do it and cut it close to my deadlines, or I’d pull an all-nighter to get things done. I’ve learned when to say “no” and/or put up my away message. It’s good to be productive, but you don’t want to overextend yourself and risk burnout. It’s Okay To Make Mistakes - But Make Sure You Learn From Them When I first joined Textbroker, I made a lot of comma mistakes because I wasn’t knowledgeable in the AP Style. I went from avoiding commas (unless I was sure I was right) to taking the time to learn how to properly use the commas. If I’m unsure of anything in general, I hit up Google to double-check it. I also read out loud when proofreading, and I proofread my longer writing orders twice. You’re a human being. You’re going to make mistakes, and that’s okay, but you want to make sure you learn from them. Write Outside Your Freelance Work It’s good to write for fun and as a hobby. I run this blog, as well as a grief-related blog (because I lost my parents) and a fan blog for my favorite band. I’m a member of MyLot, and I have multiple online/offline journals for sharing my thoughts. Write outside of your work. Express yourself. Keep the creative juices flowing. And mostly, don’t lose your passion for writing.

Those are just a few things I’ve learned as a freelance writer, and I hope they help you to grow into the writer you wish to be. :) What have you learned as a freelance or creative writer?

When writing stories with ensemble casts do you find yourself liking/writing more for certain characters? How do you write for characters that aren’t necessarily your favorites? Like I know Lenore and Annabel are more main than the rest so how do you manage the others? And how do you make them all so unique from each other?

If there's ever a character I feel like I haven't connected with, I just assume it's because I haven't "found" them yet. Like, sometimes you need to do a little searching to find the thread in them you can latch onto, if that makes sense? So whenever I feel disconnected from a character, I try to go back to that thread, and I don't proceed until I can feel it and am able to follow it myself. I name the threads as I go, like - it might be something like "paranoia", "mask", "disgust", "worthless" - like, core character themes/trajectories/feelings? - and naming the threads keeps them really different from each other. Because once you know the core of a character, you can stick to it really closely and then it's easy to notice if there's too much overlap with others. That's all really floaty and weird, how I described that. I don't know if I sounds insane or what, lol. But I swear that it makes sense in my head. tldr; I can more easily connect with certain characters than others. But I connect pretty deeply with all of them once I am able to "find" them. And after that, they're all very fun to write.

sometimes the best writing advice is "just let it be bad." revolutionary. terrifying. but it works.