Writer to Writer October 2009

Writer to Writer - October 2009
Issue Two

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Right now, the online world is literally begging for writers. People that can tap out a few words - providing content for the millions of sites out there.

You don't have to have a lot of experience, you just have to be able to piece together a few simple sentences - and submit them to the SECRET ONLINE WRITING MARKETS that most people have absolutely NO idea about.

Want to learn more? Visit this website right away

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EDITORIAL:

Do you like the new site design? I've been feeling a bit antsy lately, and decided it was time for a change.

I really like the new design, and I hope you do too. It's much easier on the eyes, don't you think?

Before I go any further, I'd like to welcome all new subscribers. I'm often remiss and forget to welcome you.

Please understand I don't do it deliberately, I simply forget.

Last time I told you about several ebooks that will help you learn more about your craft. Every week I receive many emails from writers (many of them subscribers) who are desperate to earn in.come from their writing.

I said this several months ago, and I will repeat it today - I am ear.ning far more from my writing skills since the 'global economic crisis' than I was before.

The truth of the matter is that employers are sacking staff and outsourcing a lot of their writing tasks. That way they are not paying wages, and are only paying for the work that is required as needed.

The areas I am getting most in.come from are copywriting, online article writing, and niche writing (including ebooks).

Yes, these are all non-fiction activities.

There are a few books (that I recommend) that cover these activities:

The Wealthy Writer - covers a variety of subjects. Read my review of this book.

Quick Cash Writing - this is all about writing for markets that need short items such as fillers etc. Read my review of this book.

The Low Down on Niches: Turn Your Writing into Cash - this is my book, and it goes through the process of writing ebooks for profit. I have something like sixteen ebooks, and it's a great thrill to wake up to money that's been deposited in my PayPal account while I slept. If you can write an article or a cohesive letter, you can do this. You can also write ebooks for clients - the starting price for this service is $10 per page, but most ebook writers charge a minimum of $20 per page. (Marketers are screaming out for good writers to undertake this service.)

Copywriting is where I tend to earn the most in.come quickly. There are a variety of services you can perform as a copywriter. The main one I do is sa.les pages. There is only a few hours of work, and my charge for this service is around $500. Could you do with an extra $500 a week? (When I worked at an outside job it took a week to earn this sort of money.) I choose to only write one sales page a week, but I know writers who are doing them daily, and often two or more per day. One per weekday at $500 each turns into $10,000 per month - that's nice in.come!

If you want a more comprehensive list of the resources available, check the first issue of Writer to Writer for October.

Copywriting is a great way to go - I ask my clients for 50% upfront, and don't start working until I have it. If it's a client I haven't worked with before, I ask for 100% upfront. No chasing unpaid invoices.

Magazines can be slow to pay - sometimes 3-6 months, so I much prefer copywriting as the pay.ment is so quick.

Yes, you may need to educate yourself if you don't have the skills already, but once you have them, the sky really is the limit. In my opinion, every writer should be able to write non-fiction - this is where the mo.ney is. Seriously.

This is probably the perfect time to remind you that if you don't have one already, you really should get a website as this will allow you to showcase your talents. Whether you write fiction or non-fiction, whether you are published or not, all writers need a website. (I've picked up a lot of work from people who've found my website.)

I create all my websites in Xsite Pro these days. The main Writer2Writer site is one of the few sites I have that isn't in Xsite Pro, and that's only because I'm in the process of changing it over. It's a huge job as there are hundreds of pages on the site. All the sub-sites have been created in that program, and I find it very quick and easy to use.

So... if you don't have a website, it's past time you got one.

Now for this issue.... Cheryl Malandrinos discusses the question most writers ponder at some point - can I take on a big project and keep my sanity? Find out...

Rachel Carrington is our guest writer this issue, and discusses how to make your villain more of a villain!

Okay, that's it from me (finally!) - time to sit back and enjoy this issue.

Til next time…

Cheryl

p.s. Did you grab your F-R-E-E Halloween Crafts ebook? - If not, click here to download.

p.p.s. If you haven't downloaded it already, grab your fr-ee copy of 52 Ways to Improve Your Fiction - before they start charging!

Current and Past Issues:

You can also read this issue online here:

http://www.writer2writer.com/Newsletter_2_October_2009.htm

If you missed the last issue, you'll find it here:

http://www.writer2writer.com/Newsletter_October_2009.htm

Visit the Writer2Writer Shop for More Resources

To avoid non-delivery of your newsletter, please whitelist write_cheryl@optusnet.com.au - otherwise your spa^m filters may reject any correspondence sent.

Recommended Reading:

Earn Income Writing Contextual Ads

Increase Freelance Productivity: Learn Time Management!

Plotting a Children's Book

Clearing Space for Creativity

Review of "The Wealthy Writer"

Review of "Become a Children's Writer -Insider Secrets!"

4 Ways to Get Offline Freelance Writing Jobs

Please nominate Writer2Writer.com for Writer's Digest 101 Best Websites by sending an e-mail to writersdig@fwpubs.com with “101 Best Websites” in the subject line. In the body, tell them something you like about the site.

Motivational Quote:

The most essential gift for a good writer is a built-in, shockproof shit detector. This is the writer's radar and all great writers have had it.

-Ernest Hemingway, interview in Paris Review, Spring 1958

Did you know you can write your children's book - in just TWO WEEKS, or LESS? It's true. There's a SECRET step-by-step system for writing your children's classic in absolute record time. It's a system that has been refined by many leading authors - and Mel McIntyre wants to share it with you.
Want to learn more? Visit this website right away (To get your $10 subscriber discount click here after* visiting the site above for full info.)*

Please support Writer2Writer.com and the Writer to Writer newsletter by purchasing through the affiliate and advertising links in this newsletter. This keeps the newsletter and other information (such as fr*ee courses) at no charge to subscribers. Some similar publications are now charging a yearly fee - I'm constantly fighting against that trend.

Tackling the Big Gorilla – How to Add a Large Project to Your Schedule and Still Be Stress-free around the Holidays

Once October starts, the rest of the year flies by. In addition to writing projects, the kids’ schedules get busier and my volunteer activities increase.

It has been three years since I participated in National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo), and I hesitated to join in because I know how busy this time of the year always is for me. I sat down and asked myself a very important question:

Can I work NaNoWriMo into my jam-packed schedule?

To answer this question I had to consider what commitments I already made, and figure out where I was wasting time so I could create a realistic schedule that would allow me to add in a sizable project like NaNoWriMo. This schedule also needs to leave me a bit of room for the unexpected and not make me feel overwhelmed and exhausted.

You can create a schedule that will work for you too. Here’s how!

The first thing to do is take out a piece of paper or fire up your computer—I go the paperless route because it’s one less thing to lose—and make three columns: family/home, work, volunteering.

Under each heading, list all you have to do for the next two months, noting deadlines where necessary. Then the real work begins.

Review each item on your to-do list to see if it’s something you must work on, can delegate, or change the deadline on. You must also discipline yourself by eliminating distractions and interruptions, and also consider if you have the time to dedicate to volunteering.

Let’s talk more about all of these and see how to create that realistic schedule you’re looking for.

Delegate What You Can

The easiest way to remove things from your to-do list is to delegate what you can.

Gasp! You mean I am expected to allow someone else to handle things I only trust myself to do?

I know how tough it is to give up control of things because I struggle with it every day; but unless you want the entire holiday season to pass you by without enjoying a minute of it, you need to ask for help. Household chores, errands, even meal preparation can be delegated to other members of your household. Even small children can assist in keeping the living areas of your home clean by picking up their messes before bedtime. Yeah, people might gripe when you ask, but they will enjoy a less stressed you and appreciate spending more time together during the holidays.

Read the entire article here

Do you have a newsletter list? I have recently opened a new website that focuses totally on Christmas ebooks. Check it out here, and if you're interested, join my affiliate program to earn 50% commission on all sales from your list.

Have you visited the Writer2Writer Forum lately? Drop in and join in the writing discussions. It's free, cost nothing, and is YOUR forum!

Writing for Love
AND Money

Your daydreams could be worth a small fortune. Thanks to a booming $1.52 billion romance market -- and a ravenous audience -- publishers are now willing to pay $7,000 ... $24,000 ... 50,000 ... even for first-time writers! Even if you’ve never written a word of fiction?

If you’re intrigued by the opportunity this market offers, take a few minutes to learn the secrets of this exciting and romantic way to “live the writer’s life.”

Click here to learn more

Tired of Earning Peanuts from Your Writing?
	If you want to break into magazine writing but don't know how, this ebook is for you. You'll learn the concepts that are essential for all magazine writers.
Whether you are a novice or experienced writer, Cheryl Wright will teach you how to boost (or start!) your income writing for magazines. Click here now to learn more.

Do You Own a Writing or Internet Marketing Related Website?

If so, please consider promoting my products. For more information, go here. Pays 50% commission on all products, as well as competitions and bonuses etc. There is an affiliate centre to grab your personalized promotional materials (banners, articles, text ads etc - not just links.) Apply now!

Making Your Villain Vile

Creating Antagonists who Really Antagonize

©Rachel Carrington - All Rights Reserved

Have you ever started writing a romantic suspense and fallen in love with the hero and heroine only to find yourself disgusted with the villain? You’ve labored over your characters, given them depth, emotional strengths, and made them shine—only to discover that your antagonist is more sad than bad.

We've all seen the cartoonish bad guys from early television series, and that's definitely not what your goal should be when you're creating your own Dr. Evil. So the question is how do you create that character that makes everyone shiver, the one who adds the punch to your suspense novel, and sends chills down your readers’ spines?

No matter what type of villain you’re creating, whether an obsessed co-worker or an embezzler desperate to cover up his* crime, you need to identify your villain’s purpose. I know, I know. His purpose is to add tension to the storyline and create the suspense it needs to carry the plot. Right? Well, technically, but your villain has to have a purpose of his own, a goal, so to speak.

What makes him a villain? What makes him integral to the storyline? If he could be removed without his absence affecting the storyline, then his purpose hasn’t been clearly defined. So that’s the first thing we need to start with in your quest to create a vile villain.

Let’s just say, for example, that your villain is a serial killer who only kills blonde women. Why? What is his reason for killing only women, especially only blonde? And how does this affect your hero and heroine in the book? What is his ultimate goal by the end of the book? To kill all the blonde women in the city or to kill the one blonde woman he really wants to, like, perhaps, the hero’s ex-wife? Maybe he has a grudge against the hero. So there are two of the villain’s potential purposes. Okay, his purpose is established. Now, let’s move on to the depth of your character.

While the identity of a killer can certainly come out of left field and surprise your readers, he still needs that depth which will make the shocking revelation believable. Throughout the entire book, his character needs to be developed through thoughts, point of view scenes, his action, and discoveries made by the other characters.

Read the entire article here

Do You Have an Author Website?

Every writer who wants to earn an in.come from their writing needs a website. If you think you can't do it because it's too hard, think again! XSite Pro Web Design Software will change the way you think, and prove how easy it really is.

Click here to learn more!

Subscriber News:

No subscriber news this issue. If you have any news, please send it along.

Click here to email Cheryl

How Do I?

No questions this month.

If you have a writing-related question, send it here.

FEEDBACK:

If you have any feedback about this newsletter; comments, criticisms, (praise!) sections you'd like to see added, tell me

Submissions:

We are a paying market. Full guidelines are available here, along with current needs. *Specific needs right now - articles about copywriting.

Disclaimer:

Inclusion of a market, contest, anthology or similar is not necessarily an endorsement. It is strongly suggested that you do your own legwork in checking out any markets etc you decide to approach. If you feel wary or uncomfortable, there's probably a reason!

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Guidelines for advertising, and ad rates can be found here

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