Author: Gary McLaren

This author has written 143 articles

What Writers Must Know Now to Make Money Tomorrow

This is a guest post by Jo Ann LeQuang

For centuries, writers have done more or less the same thing: sold their work to publishers who printed and distributed it. The Internet has changed all that. Instead of depending on publishers to take the risk and reap the reward of publication, writers can publish their own work online. This is different than being a "content provider," an underpaid writer who furnishes verbiage to existing sites. This is being an entrepreneur. The writer becomes the publisher. It's not only possible today, it's already happening.

A lot of writers struggle to cope. Traditional publishing opportunities are drying up at the same time that Internet writing assignments, though plentiful, are paying even less than the peanuts writers used to earn.

Some writers give up, others move on to different careers, and a few others hack their way as best they can through the new jungle of low-paying, fast turnaround gigs.

This might sound glum, and, indeed, many writers have taken it so. But rather than seeing the new content provider role as a demotion, what if writers peeked behind the curtain? The fact is that the world, for writers at least, has changed.
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How Do You Write Poetry?

This is a guest post by A K Whitehead.

The very short answer is: don't write at all unless you have to. The short answer is: in numerous different ways. A somewhat longer answer is: find the way that best suits you - that comes only from experience.

But, one might reasonably ask, what different methods are there which can be tried in order to get started? Well...
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Freelance Writers: How to Stay Focused on Developing Your Writing Career

This is a guest post by Suzanne Lieurance.

One question I hear over and over again from the writing students I coach is, "How do I get focused and stay that way?"

That's a good question. Even seasoned professional freelancers have trouble staying focused from time to time. And they usually find their writing careers start to suffer when that happens.

Here are some tips for getting focused on developing your freelance writing career and staying that way.

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Freelance Writing for Newspapers

This is a guest post by Amber McNaught.

For the full-time freelance writer, the newspaper industry is one of the easiest, if not always the most lucrative markets to break into. Think about it: newspapers require new content every day, or every week. They're often chronically understaffed, with publishers cutting back on jobs, but still demanding the same level of editorial coverage. Almost all newspapers accept freelance contributions, and use freelance writers on a regular basis.

But how do you break into the market?

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