ARTICLE: How to Become a Freelance Writer

By N Williamson


Many people who decide they want a career as a freelance writer never realize that there is a lot more to this career than just writing. In addition to writing, it is important that you learn to market the work you do, that you take care of important business details, and you are aware of current publishing trends.

The competition for freelance writers is intense. While it takes some work to be a successful freelance writer, it is possible if you know the right steps to getting involved in this business. If you're wondering how to become a freelance writer, here are simple steps to get you on your way to a successful career.

Honestly Assess Your Writing

The first thing you need do, if you want to know how to become a freelance writer, is to assess your writing honestly. In a competitive market, you need to make sure that you have excellent writing skills if you plan to break into this market. Busy editors will not look further if your writing includes many errors. When you take an honest look at your writing, find areas that you can improve on. The harder you are on yourself, the better writer you will become. With an assessment of your writing that is honest, you will be able to see your strong points and find weaknesses that you can work on in the future.

Consider Taking a Writing Course

If you are wondering how to become a freelance writer, another important step is to consider taking a good writing course. If you already have a degree in journalism or in English, the course may not be needed. However, if you don't have this type of degree, a quality course can be helpful. Good writing courses or workshops provide you with better writing skills, you'll learn how to write on deadlines, and you'll have others critiquing your work. All of these things will help prepare you for the freelance writing field.

Learn to Write Quality Query Letters

The next step to take if you want to know how to become a freelance writer is to learn to write quality query letters. Once you begin working as a freelance writer, you will be writing many query letters. The problem is that editors get hundreds of letters, so you need to learn to make yours stand out if you plan on getting a freelance writing job. Learn to write a quick proposal and how to show your qualifications so you make the editor think you are the perfect person to write the piece.

Make Use of Freelance Writing Websites

Last, you need to learn to make use of freelance writing websites if you want to know how to become a freelance writer. There are many quality sites that will help you to develop your writing skills further and these sites often have many other great resources for those who want to get involved in the freelance writing field. You'll often find jobs at these sites as well, which you can begin applying for as you get started.

Are you looking for freelance writing work, or want to get paid to work at home? Visit Writing360.info to start making money right away...

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=N_Williamson  

Live Story Still n Progress - FREE READ - The Other Side of Love - Chapter 21.2

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password to story: bellini

The Other Side of Love - Chapter 21.2 sylviahubbard1 | August 27, 2010 at 3:52 am | Tags: book, free, free story, interracial, man, Novel, password: bellini, romance, suspense, The Other Side of Love, woman | Categories: Work In Progress | URL: http://wp.me/p8Zp8-qS

today was a busy day.... Took the day off of work and then I had an early morning meeting with my friend and first assistant, Author Monica Marie Jones http://monicamariejones.com. We're getting ready for the Essence of Motown Literary Jam again and we need to siphon ideas to get readers there. http://www.essenceofmotownlitconference.com I had a [...]
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ARTICLE: Using Flashbacks in Your Fiction Writing

"Flashbacks" are basically the telling of what happened before your story started. Most people use flashbacks to provide more information about the main character's past - thereby using this technique as a means to explain why certain events are happening, or how / why a character is acting or responding in a particular way.

It can be very difficult to write flashbacks into a story well. Too many flashbacks become tedious and predictable, and they can drag a story backwards, slowing the pace. They can also add in an element of confusion that isn't necessarily needed, which can put a reader off continuing with a story.

So how do you include good flashbacks into your novel?

1. Use dialogue. 'I thought I saw Hugh in Starbucks with a girl' provides some history about a character without being too over stated or obvious. Using diction can help improve characterisation and bring a particular character 'to life' a little more at the same time as helping with a flashback.

2. Get rid of the 'hads'! Barbara Dynes suggests that one of the draw backs of the past perfect tense (which is often used when conveying a flashback) is that the word 'had' is overused. Instead she suggests using an initial 'had' to demonstrate that you are in the past, and then avoid future repetitions of the word at all costs! 'He yelled', 'His voice sounded' etc can be used, instead of 'he had yelled', 'he'd sounded', etc.

3. Time Portals. Try using objects as time portals, which can easily help the reader move from present day to the past. Using objects as symbols is a good way to do this; a blue vase seen in a shop mirror can remind a character of the vase that used to site on a grandfather's mantel piece for example.

4. Use an opening story hook. Start the story off with a flash forward or a flash back which will really hook the reader in. Something that promises plenty of excitement!

5. Mix it up. An effective way to use flashbacks is to blend them in with the present situation. An example of this would be an individual sitting in a waiting room waiting to go into a job interview. They could be thinking about how terrible the last job interview was, or cursing their partner for forcing them into this job interview when they really didn't want to go.

See, lots of possibilities!

Do you need help to edit your manuscript? Then use the professional manuscript editing service from Words Worth Reading Ltd.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Josie_Kehoe

AAMBC Summer Tours with G Street Publishing

http://www.gstreetchronicles.com

Synopsis:

Real became a self made millionaire thanks to the pipeline he established trafficking cocaine from state to state. He along with his lady Constance and right hand man Cash were enjoying the fruits of his labor. However, more money means more problems. Real and Cash's hired killers B-low and Jesse wants a bigger part of the action. Then there’s a snitch in the organization leading the Feds straight to the center of Real’s operation, and the man himself.  While Real fights to stay out of the system, all hell breaks loose when war is declared by a family in the Cartel.  When the war in the streets puts Constance’s life in jeopardy, Real vows to protect his woman at all cost but in order to do so he’ll have to stay alive and free. When allies turn to enemies Real discovers doing so may be harder than he ever imagined.

BIO:

George Sherman Hudson was born and raised in Atlanta Ga.. After being continuously rejected by different publishers because of the subject matter contained in his books while serving time, this father of two did some research and started G Street Chronicles, the urban book publishing company that's ran by him with the help of his COO and fiance Erica Jones . While George is continuously working hard to make G Street Chronicles a recognized name in the literary industry, he's also working hard on his highly anticipated REAL series. George has authored five books in all. His debut book Drama is in stores now. Having published more than 10 titles in the first year of business George is determined to make G Street Chronicles an urban lit powerhouse.

Interview with George Hudson:

What can you tell us about the man behind G Street Chronicles? My name is George Sherman Hudson and I'm on a mission to make G Street Chronicles a recognized name in the industry. Born and raised in Atlanta Ga., father of three kids Jazmine, Lil Sherman, and Semaj my stepdaughter. Engaged to Erica Jones who's also the company COO. I am the author of the highly anticipated REAL series, Drama, Family Ties, and Blocked In. All except Drama which is already out will drop before years end.

George what sparked your interest in publishing? Being told no by all the publishing giants that looked down on the urban lit genre. These same big publishing houses right now are revamping their business plans and including budgets for the same genre that they turned their nose up at years ago. After studying the business I decided to start my own company G Street Chronicles which is doing quite well being that we are just under a year old.

What sets G Street Chronicles apart from other urban publishers? A few things set us apart. The first thing is we give a lot of unknown authors a chance to realize their dream. We will hear everybody out . I stand firm on that because that's what I looked for and never got . I want to give everybody a chance to show their talent. We are kind of like the American Idol of publishing. Another thing that sets us apart is that we make sure all our stories are kept real as possible. We give it raw and uncut.

I see you publish inspirational and christian books as well , how did that come about? Well you know all of us need some positive in our life. After reviewing these manuscripts and being highly impressed I felt it was my duty to make them available to the public. Our inspirational and Christian titles are real inspiring and I recommend them to all readers.

What's next from G Street Chronicles? We got a lot of books dropping in the next couple of months. While we are waiting on those we are discussing a possible movie deal for one of our manuscripts which I won't name until its final. Everybody crunching numbers as we speak.

How can an author get in touch with you for possible publishing? They can submit their manuscripts at submissions@GstreetChronicles.com . We are now accepting all submissions.

What advice can you give authors trying to get on? Don't give up by no means and always stay true to your craft.

Learn more about G Street Chromicles at www.gstreetchronicles.com 

 

The Literary World of Sylvia Hubbard Updates: Boom! Boom! Boom! to Be continued soon

CLICK THROUGH TO READ ENTIRE POST: http://sylviahubbard.com/2010/08/17/boom-boom-boom-to-be-continued-soon The Literary World of Sylvia Hubbard Updates Boom! Boom! Boom! to Be continued soon Posted: 16 Aug 2010 11:29 PM PDT (click on the following link only if you're 18 yrs or older). http://sylviahubbard.com/2007/12/20/boom-boom-boom/ A lot of people have been reading this story lately. (I love my WP stats) I've been getting five to eight followers a day in the past two months. I'm not sure where they are coming from, but obviously someone is either [...] You are subscribed to email updates from The Literary World of Sylvia Hubbard READ MORE : http://sylviahubbard.com/2010/08/17/boom-boom-boom-to-be-continued-soon Sylvia Hubbard Author, Blogger and Founder of Motown Writers Network & The African American Electronic Literary Network Author of Romance & Suspense and Internet Marketing for Writers & Business NOW AVAILABLE: Secrets, Lies and Family Ties order your copy now Coming Soon: Tanner's Devil www.redrosepublishing.com