Writing for free is a very controversial subject. I’ve read lots of articles with both pros and cons. Personally, I think a newbie should write for free as long as it is working toward their goal and they aren’t being taken advantage of. And what is your goal? Maybe to fulfill a void in your life? Or perhaps to leave your mark on earth in publication? There’s nothing wrong with that. You probably have some urgent things to say, and no one else will say them just like you.

While it is true that a few people can skip protocol and begin writing for large markets without writing credits, the ordinary person cannot. Be prepared, because every publication will want to know where you have been published before, and you should have a list as long as your arm.

· Write for ezines that pay in subscriptions, (some will pay $5).

· Write for your church bulletin

· Write for bulletins or newsletters at work.

· Go to your local newspaper and ask if they need someone to cover sports and/or political meetings. (These are hard jobs to fill, and almost every paper needs someone in these positions.)

· Write for Associated Content or eHow

· Write for ezinearticles or isnare (article distribution centers)

You may be asking yourself, “But if I give writing references in ezines, bulletins, and local papers, won’t the editor know I’ve been working for nothing?” Yes, they will, but they won’t care. They will admire you for your tenacity. They will know you’ve been out working and learning the market, and they will know that you must be some kind of a decent writer or no one would have published you.

As you see your articles printed, be sure to clip and save them in a notebook. I use a photo album book. It covers the clippings well and keeps them in good shape. Also date the material, as you will need to know that later.

If you take writing courses and receive a Certificate of Completion, you can also keep them in there.

When you send your first piece into a magazine, don’t make the mistake of saying, “My teacher said she liked this piece,” “I’ve never been published before, but I’ll be a hard worker,” or “I belong to a writer’s club and they voted this article as the best of the month.” These are amateur remarks, and any editor will recognize them as such.

If you don’t have any publication credits, avoid the subject altogether. Give the short story on how you got into writing and what your goals are, and always thank the editor for his time in reading your submission.

In fact, you can usually skip the query letter and email straight to the editor in most cases.

In conclusion:

· Write articles free of charge to get publishing credits

· Keep dated clippings from each one in a scrap book, as you will need that information later on

· Present yourself well. Remember, you’re selling yourself.

· Have the audacity of a Rockefeller

Most of the time, you’ll get the chance you’re looking for, if you bluff your way through it. For more writer’s tips, see below.

Submit your articles or stories for publication at: http://www.creativewritinginstitute.com AND… receive YOUR free writing analysis!

If you love food and have the ability to add creative flair to your writing, you could look forward to a career in freelance food writing.

Technically, freelance food writing means tasting food and then describing it. Practically, it’s a much more involved process. Food critics often absorb the entire dining experience of the restaurant they’re in. How does the atmosphere contribute to the quality of the food? What was the service like? What did the food taste like?

The latter can be a fun question to answer because it’s your opportunity to let your creativity shine through. Don’t shy away from elaborate adjectives and metaphors. Think along the lines of: “The arugula and baby spinach medley, coupled with bursts of cilantro and cranberry, was bliss to the palate.”

Who offers freelance food writing jobs?

Food writing is one of the more prolific freelancing jobs. Almost every major newspaper in the country has a food section. There are also dozens of magazines you could write for, depending on your food or beverage preference.

As mentioned earlier, people looking for freelance food writers may really be looking for restaurant reviewers. Be prepared to do either one or both, depending on your editor. Remember that a whole restaurant review can be a little more in-depth than simply writing about the food, so make sure to pay attention to everything that happens from the moment you walk through those restaurant doors.

Where can I find these jobs?

If you’ve done a couple of food reviews, submit them to food magazines and the food section editors of newspapers, along with a query letter. Your query letter should include a brief, exciting plug for the article you’d like to write, along with several good reasons why you should be the freelance writer to do it.

Another idea is to look for restaurants that are opening in your area and approach the owners directly. Let them know you’re a freelance food writer who would like to help them get their new restaurant in the paper. It’ll give you an excellent opportunity to write their review first and get it published. You might even get a free meal!

Occasionally, you’ll find ads for freelance food writers on the Internet. Approach with caution; usually these jobs pay very little.

What skills do I need to be a freelance food writer?

Besides creativity and keen eye, it’s helpful if you have a passion for food. That may sound obvious, but it’s worth mentioning – the more you love what you’re writing about, the more likely you’ll be able to convey that passion to your readers.

In food writing, that passion is critical because it’s the only way to engage your readers. If you’re just saying, “My pasta primavera was exceptional and so was the service,” you’re not going to hold your readers’ attention for long. Instead, you need to say something like, “The just-picked pan-seared veggies over homemade al dente linguini made the meal feel light and refreshing, even for pasta.”

Besides passion, you need education. Read food magazines, check out the food section in the newspaper, eat out a lot, attend wine and cheeses, and learn the food trends that are happening in cities like New York and Los Angeles. The more you know, the better you’ll write.

How do I respond to an ad?

If you come across an ad for a food writer, say in a wine-lovers’ magazine, you’ll need to respond in a way that entices editors to accept your articles. How would you respond to the ad below?

Calling all food lovers! Wine & Vine is looking for articles about pairing wines and foods. Please submit 500-600-word articles with a short bio of yourself before January.

It looks like the magazine is looking for articles with a food emphasis, which is great if you don’t know a lot about wine pairing. Do a bit of Internet research on which cheeses and meats go with which wines. Then describe those foods (”A melt-in-your-mouth Kobe steak,” “Roquefort straight from the Vall

The term “ghostwriting” refers to writing for someone that you don’t receive credit for. Famous people, for example, seldom write their own autobiographies. Instead, they hire a ghostwriter to tell their story for them.

Why would a freelance ghostwriter agree to forfeit credit for his or her work? Simple: money. Clients usually pay ghostwriters far more than a “normal” writer’s fee of $20-$50 an hour. Small books (150 pages or less) usually cost a client at least $25,000. Fees go up from there depending on the length and type of book, as well as the amount of research required by the ghostwriter.

The fees are high because you can’t slap your byline on the work and you forfeit all rights to royalties that your book generates. The exceptions are if the client agrees to put your name in print on the cover, name you as a co-author, or offer you part of the royalties. In those cases, you would often give a hefty discount depending on the return you expected.

What types of books can I ghostwrite?

Many industries seek the skills of freelance ghostwriters. Fiction and children’s writing are common – people often have (or think they have) an amazing storyline, but lack the writing ability to sell it.

Freelance ghostwriters often pen non-fiction books, such as autobiographies and instructional, business, and self-help books. Sometimes these ghostwriters are experts in the subject matter, sometimes they are not. You may have to do a lot of research, or none at all.

You can also ghostwrite for smaller projects, like articles and web content. These don’t usually pay more than normal writing but they’re good resume builders.

Where can I find freelance ghostwriting gigs?

Set up a website to promote your freelance ghostwriting services. Because ghostwriting is expensive, it’s important to buyers that you are truly a ghostwriting professional. Presenting yourself with a polished website is a great way to emphasize your credibility.

It is more than possible to find ghostwriting jobs on freelancing websites, but buyers there are usually less knowledgeable and therefore less willing to pay good money. It is common to see ads for a 250-page book that needs writing with a budget of $500 or less. It doesn’t hurt to keep your eye out for a gem though – it does happen occasionally.

What skills do I need to be a freelance ghostwriter?

If you have experience, you’re off to a great start. If you lack experience, thumb through your own files to see if you can use some of that as writing examples, or write some from scratch. You don’t have to ghostwrite it to prove your writing skills. If you have a particular client in mind, do your best to match your writing style and samples to the type of writing you think your client is looking for.

Remember that any samples you send can’t be ghostwritten work. Unless otherwise specified in the agreement, you can’t ever disclose that you’re the author behind ghostwritten work. In these cases, feel free to describe the book you ghostwrote and how well it’s doing.

How should I respond to a ghostwriting ad?

If you find a promising ad (or if someone contacts you), respond professionally using perfect grammar and polite language. For practice, try responding to this sample ad:

I’m looking for someone to write a book about choosing the right family pet. I have an outline and some research but a little more will be required. The book should only be about 100 pages. I will own all rights afterwards. Serious writers only.

What should you say to this person? Well, it’s good to start off expressing an interest in their subject matter. Ghostwriting projects are usually dear to buyers’ hearts, so if you start by saying you’re passionate about pets, you’ll catch his eye right away.

Next, you’ll want to assure him that you can handle the task. If you don’t have enough experience to convince him, suggest having him send one chapter outline and writing a sample for him for free. Yes, it’s a bit of unpaid work for you, but it will mean thousands of dollars if you get the job.

Finally, quote a fee. The book is short and research appears to be minimal. If you’re experienced, quote $25,000. If you’re not, quote around $15,000. It’s far less than an experienced ghostwriter would make, but you have to start somewhere. Good luck!

Brian Scott is a full-time freelance writer with over a decade of experience. He finds many of his paid freelance ghostwriting jobs at Online Writing Jobs ( http://www.online-writing-jobs.com ), a free jobboard that lets you search thousands of freelance writing jobs.

When you sit down to write, where do all the ideas go? Especially the ones you thought of only 15 minutes before. They went to Idea Land. Sometimes they will return, and sometimes they won’t, so you need to learn how to drum up more writing ideas.

One good way is to think of a dramatic scene:

· Two ice skaters on a lake – one falls through the ice and drowns

· Someone is kidnapped and they left a clue on purpose

· The janitor at school wins a lottery ticket. What happens to him?

· Someone hacks into a computer and steals the owner’s identity

· A mother and child are separated in a shopping mall

· A teenager breaks into the same house for the third time, but the owner has rigged a shotgun

Ideas are all around you in real life. Read the newspapers. Listen to the news. Search old newspapers, rename the people, and lift out some of the information to make your own story. You could sit in a restaurant and eavesdrop on other people. Imagine all sorts of things according to what you hear. Or stand in a crowd and do nothing but listen. Life is full of weird things.

Look at any object – a house, semi-truck, car, dog, child, bridge, etc., and ask the six questions: Who? What? When? Where? Why? How? Example: Who is that person, when did they get to that place and why? Where is that truck going and what will happen along the way? What is the name of that bridge? Why does it carry that name?

All of these things can trigger ideas in your imagination. Some of your best ideas will come from real life. Don’t make the mistake of copying private circumstances into a story. That’s a good way to get sued, but you can take circumstances from three or four people and mix them up until they give you a story. (And then you can be sued by three or four people. Nah. Just kidding.) When you use circumstances in someone’s life, disguise them well and you will have no fears.

Here’s something I read on the net recently – look at a piece of furniture and imagine that one piece of furniture is in a house, hundreds of miles away. Now furnish the house however you like; fill it with occupants, landscape the yard, and focus a story on the house or the people.

You can come up with good ideas from writing prompts, too. For example: Three men are surviving in a life raft. Land is still three days away and even with rationing, there is only enough water for one man. What happens? When you think of the answer, ask yourself “What if?”. That will expand your mind to all the various possibilities.

And when you get the idea you want, run with it! Sit down to the keyboard and type and type and type. Do not edit until your ideas run out. If you can’t write at that moment, take brief notes so you don’t lose the thought.

See below.

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Twisting the ending of a story is like putting icing on a cake, a cherry on top of a sundae, or nuts in brownies. It is the ultimate satisfaction.

I’m supposing that most writers go through the same learning process that I did. In the early days, my first attention went to the opening line, the plot, climax, and logical end. (Which is the wrong order, but that’s another article.) Twisting the ending didn’t occur to me for many years, and when I finally did it, it was by accident. Now I like to twist almost every ending. If you learn to do it once, you can do it every time thereafter.

The skill of a twisted ending is in misleading the reader to believe something different than what is really going to happen. Sometimes the writers, themselves, don’t know what their ending is going to be. If that is your case, you will have a lot of trouble twisting the ending.

Stop and think about where your story is going. What is the logical ending? Next, think of an alternative ending that would surprise the reader. Now, find a common denominator between the two endings where you can make the flow similar, and then split the story line off in an unsuspecting direction at the last minute.

One good twist is to take the reader back to the beginning scene of the story. This is called the loop effect. For example: I wrote a story where a man sat in the doctor’s office and listened to patients giving personal information. Knowing when a certain lady would not be home, he went to steal her jewels for the sheer excitement of it. The loop ending says he would end up in the doctor’s office again, waiting to hear more information. But another good ending would use irony. He could have entered the house to rob it, and another thief slipped in when his back was turned. The second thief thought the first one was the master of the house and he shot him.

Another example of irony: A man rescues a wolf and makes a pet out of it. The government decides the wolf is dangerous and they take the wolf away from him. He files a lawsuit against the government and wins. (Okay. We can call this a fantasy story.) He gets the wolf back and the reader thinks the climax has come and gone with the courtroom scene and the reunion with the wolf. The reader is coming to the end of the book, just half a dozen paragraphs left – and they learn that the man takes the wolf for a romp in the snow and the wolf tears his throat out.

Make your readers think they know the ending, and then pull the rug out from under them. This is what made Alfred Hitchcock so famous. When you watch his old movies, you’ll never figure out who did the dirty deed until the last scene. He was the master of twisted endings. Since his day, multiplied thousands of writers have learned to follow in his footsteps.

Have fun doing the twist! (See below)

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I had been writing for two decades before I realized how much I needed the companionship of other writers with like minds. All that time, I was thinking how neat it would be to talk to other writers, but I had no idea that writer’s groups even existed. Since the advent of computers and my own education in using one, I now realize what I was missing all those years. Only when I am with other writers do I feel really understood.

Here are seven good reasons to join a creative writer’s group:

· Finding other writers is extremely encouraging. You can talk in forums, by email, or chat privately.

· You will find a plethora of activities to engage your talents.

· There will be lots of writing contests, and this is one of the best motivators there is.

· You can get creative and make greeting ecards, banners for others who have a business, and unique graphic signatures.

· You can strike out on your own by creating a business, or help someone else in theirs.

· Being part of a writing community gives you awesome opportunities to search out latent talents and bring them to life. You can create contests (or help others who create them). If you like graphics, you will have a wonderful opportunity to sell them and gain exposure.

· You can post your stories on the net. Other writers will critique your work, and you will critique theirs in return. The more detailed your critique, the more they will appreciate it. Tell them if they miss a comma, or should have used a semi-colon; tell them if their plot was thin or the scenery didn’t convert to an image in your mind. This is what they need to know to improve their performance. By interacting in this way, you will soon learn what is good and bad writing, and what you want to emulate, and what you should avoid.

By this simple but effective method, you can improve your writing by leaps and bounds. When receiving critiques, remember that the person giving it is trying to help you. Don’t get your feelings hurt by someone criticizing your favorite story. On the contrary – use 95% of their suggestions for editing, and then put the story out again for more reviews.

The largest majority will thank you and invite you back for more reviews. Others will get their feelings hurt, so be tactful and gentle. If you don’t know how to review stories, the site will have a guide for it.

I have visited many writing sites. The one I endorse is Writing.com, as it is one of the best established writing groups on the net. Membership is free. It won’t take you long to settle in, as you will have lots of help.

The Bible says if a person would have friends, he must show himself friendly. Whether or not you believe the Bible, that’s good advice, so don’t wait for someone to reach out to you. You reach out to them.

See below.

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Well when you take a look at the Advanced Article Marketing sales page you’ll get a good idea of what it’s about in the headline. They immediately discuss the opportunities for you to increase traffic, reach a target audience, and build a business through the use of articles. If that isn’t enough to get you more interested in what they’re offering, then we don’t know what else to tell you.

Regardless, Judy Cullins will explain everything about her system on the web page you’re about to read. It will discuss the very aspects of article marketing, but importantly the advanced areas that are far from the basics you find within most other informational sites. Below we’ll show you what we found and then it will be up to you to decide if this is what you need to take the next step with your online business.

More Than Just a Book

In fact there are three all together that Judy wrote for you to utilize. “Advanced Article Marketing: Nine Mistakes and Solutions”,”The Fast and Cheap Way to explode Targeted Web Traffic and How to Submit Articles to Top Sites”, and “Article Directories with 100+ Web Site URLs.” So basically you won’t be getting access to one piece of the puzzle, but actually all of them.

It’s a nice benefit that only begins with this area. These three books contain information on learning how to brand yourself as an expert in the field, learning how to sell more products, making more money with less money, and best of all according to what we found on her website this is only the beginning.

Understanding When to Change Something That Doesn’t Work

We really liked this section of the Advanced Article Marketing sales page because it can really hit home to many of you. We know there are many people out there (maybe even you) who spend weeks, months, even years doing the same stuff on the Internet without really making any money. Worst of all someone was giving out the wrong information and individuals latch on thinking it’s the way to become successful.

For instance, have you ever wondered about the SPAM problems all over the Internet? When many people first come online to make money they simply see others doing it and then realize this must be the way it’s supposed to be. These are the kinds of things you’ll know not to do (except dealing with articles) when learning from the Advanced Article Marketing. It’ll teach you how not to use article submitters, making mistakes, not to place ads, and several other benefits.

Our Overall Analysis

While we may not have made the best analogy above, you need to know that the Advanced Article Marketing course can be very helpful for those that want it. We would like to say if there is one thing you take from this review it’s that when you read over her sales page you WILL find something that can help you make more money online. Oh, yes, even if you’ve never written an article before in your life.

Let Article Marketing Review Kings Brian Garvin and Jeff West teach you more about Advanced Article Marketing. Feel free to use this article but please leave all links and author bio intact.

The other day my twenty-something son stopped by for a visit and decided to take a short swim in our pool. This was something unique, really, because he hadn’t been a steady presence in our pool since he and his sister were of elementary school age. Then with only just the two of them, or with the addition of some sleepover friends, they would all play in the water for hours, and I do mean hours. Hunger, thirst, or my calls to exit the water because they were turning into prunes and needed to take a break did not deter this pack of four-legged dolphins to cease their joy for a minute.

Just before my son left to go back to his town house about 20 miles away, he commented: “Mom, I was thinking how when we were little, all we needed in the pool was ourselves and our imaginations to keep us happy. We didn’t have to worry about work, errands, jobs, or anything. All that mattered was playing.” Then he threw his hands up in the air as if accepting one of those light bulb moments, and we all have them, with great reluctance. “Yes,” I said, “we spend most of our adult lives longing to recapture those days of innocence.”

And those days of my innocence have been lost for far too long. And that is partly why I undertook the task of writing my epistolary novel Letters Between Us. Spurred on by the death of an old schoolmate whom I had long lost touch with, I began writing Letters in full middle school teenage-ese the way we had in our childhood. The letters were not to anyone in particular, perhaps they were to my 13 year-old self, I don’t know. I decided it would be interesting to write this series of letters the regular old fashioned way with pen and paper leaving in the mistakes, the scratch outs, and silly symbols kids often use for emphasis.

All I know is that the act of recreating those days of only caring about whether or not my patent leather shoes matched my patent leather clutch purse, whether or not I’d painted on my Twiggy style eyeliner perfectly, and whether or not I’d had my bra snapped by the most “bitchin-est” boy in school mattered. Writing in such a vein re-awakened my long forgotten childhood again. Mind you we, my girlfriends and I, did not sound or act like Valley girls in the sixties. We sounded and acted like young adolescents desperately trying to fit in with the in-crowd. Often, I was assigned to the out-crowd, but even that was a crowd.

I can still recall the pangs of being told by a small group of in-crowd girls as I tried to catch up to them during lunchtime when they paraded around the quad checking out which of the cutest boys were checking them out being told: “Linda, we don’t need you today.” I immediately dropped out of step with them. I was dismissed and there was no appeal allowed or necessary. I was simply not “in” that day. I was deeply hurt, but I clamored for acceptance on another quad patrol day. And accepted I was because I was wearing a dress they all coveted. So simple really, no hidden agenda, no talking behind my back. It was a simple message reminiscent of the phrase, “….one day you’re in and the next day you’re out!” I did not need a memo, or a phone call, I knew exactly where I stood. If only boundaries were that clear cut over our entire maturing process.

In addition, during those times we were often bombarded with the exhortations of great democratic minds:

“Ask not what your country can do for you–ask what you can do for your country; Tune in, turn on, drop out; Do Your Own Thing; Love the one you’re with; Peace now; Hell no, we won’t go; Make Love not War.” From the draft-card-burning protests of the Vietnam War, these are the slogans I remember the most.

How ignorant I was as to the true meaning of any of these slogans and their ramifications in the coming decades. Over and above all of those turbulent years, all I can recall is that when we are little, we either want to be a good kid or a bad kid. The sad part is that in the midst of it, we have no appreciation for the infantile challenges we face, like—getting up, getting dressed, brushing our teeth and even tying our own shoe laces without help, and all of those tasks that make us feel right in all their marvelous lunacy. When we mature and move beyond childish things, of course we pine for those days when we really didn’t have much to fret about. Our parents woke us up, saw that we were fed, chauffeured us around, and made sure we got to school on time. We only had to make sure we didn’t get into trouble with mom or dad, or our teachers. It was our playmates on the playground and who we hung out with and shared secrets with who counted.

The poignancy of such a time in any of our childhoods, notwithstanding the degree of just how dysfunctional a family we were raised in, is the beauty of existing in a state of such naivet