The WMF Archives

Professional Writers

Guest Blogger: D.E. Moore

By Angela Atkinson

 The Sun Magazine* is accepting submissions, including personal writing and cultural, political or philosophical essays. Pay is $300 to $1500 for essays and interviews and $100 to $500 for poetry. Send copy (not original) of typed, double spaced manuscript with SASE for response to:

Editorial Department
The Sun
107 N. Roberson St.
Chapel Hill, NC 27516

Full writer's guidelines reprinted from the website below.

We publish essays, interviews, fiction, and poetry. We tend to favor personal writing, but we're also looking for thoughtful, well-written essays on political, cultural, and philosophical themes. Please, no journalistic features, academic works, or opinion pieces. Other than that, we're open to just about anything. Surprise us; we often don't know what we'll like until we read it.

We pay from $300 to $2,000 for essays and interviews, $300 to $1,500 for fiction, and $100 to $500 for poetry, the amount being determined by length and quality. We may pay less for very short works. We also give contributors a complimentary one-year subscription to The Sun. We purchase one-time rights. All other rights revert to the author upon publication.

We're willing to read previously published works, though for reprints we pay only half our usual fee. We discourage simultaneous submissions. We rarely run anything longer than seven thousand words; there's no minimum word length. Don't bother with a query letter, except perhaps on interviews; the subject matter isn't as important to us as what you do with it.

We try to respond within three to six months. With nearly a thousand submissions a month, however, our backlog of unread manuscripts is often substantial. Don’t let a longer wait surprise you.

Submissions should be typed, double-spaced, and accompanied by a self-addressed, stamped envelope. (Poems may be single-spaced.) Your work will not be returned without sufficient postage, and we cannot respond unless a return envelope is provided. Do not send your only copy. Do not submit work or queries by e-mail or fax. Submissions received this way will not be acknowledged.

Thank you for your interest in The Sun.

*Not the gig you were looking for? Check out other WM writing opportunities!

Writing Opportunity: The Sun Magazine

by Kerrie McLoughlin

Congratulations to Cynthia, who is the winner of my e-book kit, "Get Published in Regional Parenting Magazines" (1st edition).

Thank you to everyone who left a comment or put or blog on your blogroll.

For those of you who care or who are also in the e-book world: I've decided not to enter the contest and will instead focus on making my 2nd edition rock solid. Then I'll come up with a 10-page sample of my e-book to give away so potential buyers can see if it's right for them before they plunk down the 10 bucks for the entire book. Lord help you all, I'll be blogging about my e-book publishing and marketing journey!

Self-Published Book Awards Winner!!!

by Kerrie McLoughlin

A journalist by training, Martha Engber is the author of THE WIND THIEF, a literary novel. A professional journalist, dynamic and experienced public speaker, Martha combined her love of great literature involving exotic locales with her passion for wind. In preparation for the writing of The Wind Thief, which took 11 years to write, she used her journalism background to research almost a hundred sources, from maps and ocean currents, to weather, wind folklore and first-person interviews. She even learned to play the tabla, the instrument played by Ajay.

“The inspiration came from one particular spring windstorm that literally broke my wind chimes and shook my house and I couldn’t get over the fury of it! The chaos and force were unreal, and this wasn’t even a hurricane,” Martha said. “That’s when I began to think, what if wind isn’t just a wind, but rather many winds? What if these winds were sentient? What if some of them wanted to tear down humanity?”

Martha is the author of Growing Great Characters From the Ground Up: A Thorough Primer for Writers of Fiction and Nonfiction (Central Avenue Press 2007). Martha teaches and lectures to hundreds of people each year through in-person events at bookstores, conferences and meetings and through online classes. She has a fully-developed website, maintains a blog for writers and has an author page on GoodReads.com, Amazon Author Central and Library Thing. She’s also a member of the Women’s National Book Association.

A graduate of the University of Missouri – Columbia School of Journalism, Martha has written for the Chicago Tribune, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Inside Karate Magazine and other national publications. Martha has interviewed former First Lady of the Philippines Imelda Marcos, Apollo 13 astronaut James Lovell, actress Marlo Thomas and other celebrities. She’s had a full-length play produced in Hollywood. Her poetry and fiction have appeared in Watchword, Iconoclast, Bookpress, the Berkeley Fiction Review and other literary journals.

Writers to Watch: Martha Engber

By Pam Houghton

I received a nice e-mail from one of our readers earlier this week about the Christian Science Monitor writing opportunity posted here a few weeks ago. Reading the writer's guidelines was just the push needed to submit an essay for publication.

In fact, here it is.

Thank you for that tip and for all of the support and encouragement you and your colleagues provide to those of us who want to shed the 'wanna be' label."

Share Your Writing Success Stories!

By Rebecca Sebek

You may have to support your freelance writing with a J.O.B. This sounds like an oxymoron, but it's the norm for some freelance writers. Sometimes you need a part-time or full-time temporary job to make the difference of your monthly income. Don't despair because it won't be for long.


Supporting your freelance writing means you'll do whatever necessary to do it. Perhaps you go back into corporate America utilizing your accounting or IT skills. Maybe you find temporary work as a receptionist or work in a bookstore. Working in a bookstore would be cool if it's your local bookstore.


You can support your freelance writing with network marketing. Make sure you choose one that fits you. If you're a travel writer, find an opportunity that involves selling travel. Who better to recommend trips than you!


You may not be thrilled with a 9 am - 5 pm job, but you do what you must to keep your dream alive. Besides, think about all of the contacts you'll make. Word-of-mouth is still a viable means of advertising. When people ask what you did before, tell them you're a freelance writer. Make sure you can trust the people you tell. Some companies frown upon employees who moonlight. Then again, if you're temporary, you have nothing to lose.


Keep your eye on the prize which is your freelance writing. Your business may not grow as quick as another. Stop comparing yourself to other freelance writers because you'll drive yourself nuts.


It may feel like you're taking a detour, but remember the butterfly effect. "The butterfly effect teaches us that no matter what our long term goals and dreams are, there will be many small and subtle changes along the way that will shape who we are, the people we meet and, ultimately, the path to success that we take" from LiveThePower. You may have to get out of the house in order for subtle changes to happen!

How to Support Your Freelance Writing

By Carol Tice

How to Get Paid More Than $50 An Article

by Kat Foust

With the burst of season's change at your door, now may be the time that you decide to do some spring cleaning. As writers, we have a special kind of spring cleaning to do. In doing this, we should always take into account the end goal. After all, when you clean your kitchen you know what you want it to look like in the end.


What are your goals as a writer? If you set a New Year's resolution that had to do with your writing efforts, take a glance and see how much progress you've made toward your goal. Is it still what you want? Are you going in the right direction to meet your goals? If not, what could you do to help you along the way? Approach your cleaning with these thoughts in mind.


I personally follow the one year rule as I clean. I get rid of everything that I haven't used in a year, with some personal exceptions. When it comes to the desk and the computer, this rule may need to be modified. That doesn't mean you can't organize files and things like favorites. Even if you have a site in your favorites that you don't use anymore, you might want to create a folder devoted to your reason for not using it. For instance, create a folder for "Late Payment" or "Scam" so that you can use it for reference in the future.


Set your files up so that they help you to meet your writing goals. Ease of access goes a long way toward a more productive environment. Sit at your desk and go through the motions of your writing to see where things are and where they might be placed to be more convenient for you. Move furniture if need be!


Don't forget about your hardware. We all know we have to do it, but I know I personally very rarely ever remember to blow off my keyboard or the actual physical drives. After losing several semesters' worth of my student portfolio, I learned to keep up on the maintenance of my computer. Live and learn I suppose.


Since you're cleaning things up, now is also a great time to brush up some of those pieces you've been meaning to get to. Whatever type of writing you do, there's at least some project lurking in the back that requires your attention. Use this time to clean up your "to do" list. After all, wouldn't it be nice to move it from the "in process" folder to the "submitted" folder?

Spring Cleaning

March Contest Winner: D.E. Moore

By Angela Atkinson

Today's writing opportunity is perfect for fiction writers. The gig pays $100 per story and gives published authors 15 copies of the publication with their stories in it. Simultaneous submissions are accepted, but no reprints.

More About One Story:

One Story is a non-profit literary magazine that features one great short story mailed to subscribers every three weeks. Our mission is to save the short story by publishing in a friendly format that allows readers to experience each story as a stand-alone work of art and a simple form of entertainment. One Story is designed to fit into your purse or pocket, and into your life.

Because we like a challenge we will publish each writer one time only. This prevents us from relying on a stable of writers and helps us find new and exciting voices. Between September and June, all writers can submit their work.

Since launching in 2002 we have grown to have over 7500 subscribers. Many of the stories we have published have won awards, and many One Story writers have gone on to publish their first (or third, or tenth) books. But what keeps us going is the community we have created. Please join us: subscribe, come to an event, or chat on our blog.

Writer's Guidelines reprinted from the website, below:

Writer's Guidelines

Please note: One Story does not accept submissions from June 1 through August 31

What kind of stories is One Story looking for?

One Story is seeking literary fiction. Because of our format, we can only accept stories between 3,000 and 8,000 words. They can be any style and on any subject as long as they are good. We are looking for stories that leave readers feeling satisfied and are strong enough to stand alone.

Does One Story pay money?

Yes. One Story is offering $100 and 15 contributors copies for first North American serial rights. All rights will revert to the author upon publication.

Does One Story accept previously published material?

One Story is looking for previously unpublished material. However, if a story has been published in print outside of North America, it will be considered. No stories previously published online will be accepted.

Does One Story accept simultaneous submissions?

Yes, but please notify us immediately of your submission is accepted for publication elsewhere.

What file types can I submit?

Please only submit Rich Text Format (.RTF) files. Most word processing applications allow you to "save as" an RTF file. Please also make sure that your filename ends with the .RTF extension (for example: "mystory.rtf").

Mac users: Macintosh filenames typically do not use file extensions so you may have to rename your file to end with .RTF (for example: "mystory" must be renamed to "mystory.rtf").

Please note that submitted files cannot exceed 500 KB.

Please include the story title and all writer contact info on the first page of the submitted file.

How do I submit to One Story?

We now have an automated system for you to send us your work. It will securely send our editors your story and email you a confirmation that it has been received. To use the automated system, you need to have a One Story account.

If you have subscribed, joined our mailing list, given One Story as a gift or submitted a story using our new system, you already have an account. If not, the first time you submit a story your account will be automatically created.

Using this account you will be able to check the status of your submission at any time by going to our login page.

When you are ready to submit please visit our Submission Manager.

When can I submit to One Story?

We accept submissions from September 1 through May 31.

How soon can I expect to hear about my submission?

We do our very best to respond to submissions between 4 and 12 weeks after they are received, but are sometimes slower in responding. Please be patient! It is our goal to make sure each submission gets a good read. 

Writing Opportunity: One Story

by Kerrie McLoughlin

I almost peed my pants in the McDonald’s Play Place when I read that Writer’s Digest is now letting e-books enter into their Self-Published Book Awards!

I self-published my e-book (if you’re interested in that story and the how-to, sign up for an e-mail subscription to this blog because I’ll be sharing that in April) because I knew it would require too many updates to become a paper book and that I wanted to get the information out to the people who needed it ASAP at a reasonable price ($9.99) without the middleman.

But what if I pay the $125 entry fee for this contest and don’t even get an Honorable Mention? Still, what if I end up with my e-book’s name and web site on a list of other winners of reference materials IN THE MAGAZINE and ON THE WEB SITE?

So my question to you is: Should I drop $125 on the entry fee for this contest? Would you take the risk if you only had about $200 in your PayPal account and no other cash coming in?

Everyone who leaves me a comment (be it “yes”, “no” or “maybe” or anything in between) will be entered in a drawing to win a free copy of the e-book in question (Get Published in Regional Parenting Magazines). And if you put a link to this blog post on your own blog (and let me know about it in the comments sectiopn), you get an extra entry. Good luck!

Writer’s Digest Self-Published Book Awards

By Pam Houghton

If you are like I was (before I was laid off!), you are likely working a 9-to-5 job while pursuing a writing career after hours.

Though you may not make as much progress as someone who is a full-time writer, there are ways to establish writing cred while earning a steady paycheck. Here are a few things I did.

Essays

Because I did not have time to conduct research or interviews for more informative articles, I wrote essays geared to the life I was leading every day: working and raising a family. I found these to be a good outlet for someone working within the structure of a corporation, where daily work was not always creative.

Most regional parenting magazines have a monthly column devoted to raising families, often with a dose of humor. If this is an area of interest, your local parenting magazine is a great place to start, since many seem to prefer local writers. Also, The Smithsonian runs a humor column on the back page, and the Christian Science Monitor accepts essays for its Home Forum section.

Travel

Why not write about a trip you've already booked? You may have to pay more attention to travel details, but it's not like you're going out of your way to do extra research. Just make sure to save any literature you collect such as museum brochures, city street maps, tourist info, etc. that you can refer back to for specificity when you write the story.

There are a couple different ways to approach editors; I queried the editor of a local parenting magazine for family trips to Washington D.C. and Springfield, Ill. She approved the queries, so I knew before leaving I'd be writing about our destinations.

I also submitted entire articles to a local suburban newspaper without querying first after traveling to Canada, England and the Netherlands. Querying first may be smarter, but all the articles were published.

I found these guidelines on travel writing for AAA Living, although I can't tell how current they are. And the Christian Science Monitor publishes travel essays, more personal accounts of travel experiences.

Write for your work

Even if your day job consists of adding numbers together or figuring out the most efficient way to build a widget, you can offer up writing skills in ways that are useful to both you and your company. I wrote process instructions for our manufacturing facility, brochure and web copy for our supply chain, PowerPoint presentations for internal use, and a storyboard for a sales video.

The good thing is, you're there, you know the business; you might be in the best position possible to effectively communicate the organization's goals to the outside world, and to employees as well. This is great experience to have and provides the cred to move into business writing.

Three Ways to Establish Writing Cred While Working 9-to-5

By Rebecca Sebek

Sometimes as a freelance writer, you have to do what you have to do. If you're building your business or money's tight, you may have to take a temporary or permanent full-time or part-time job which means you'll have to leave the house. This sounds scary, but the bills must get paid.

As a freelance writer, you become accustomed to the lifestyle. Perhaps you write in your PJs with a big cup of coffee within reach. Maybe you take your son or daughter to the park every Wednesday. Perhaps you grocery shop at 10:30 am during the week and catch those sales. Running errands is when you're at home. Ah, it's great to be a freelance writer. But sometimes you have to suck it up and go back to the cubicle for a short period of time. Sure, this means you can't go to lunch whenever you'd like or work in your sweats, but at least you'll be earning extra income to pay the bills!

Tips to handling the cube

• Be grateful for the opportunity and extra income.
• Focus on doing the best job you can.
• Make contacts because these people know people.
• Look at it as an adventure that you can write about for your blog.
• Realize how far you've come from your corporate America days and pat yourself on the back.
• Work your freelance writing at night and don't give up!
  

If you came from corporate America and didn't have a great experience, going back to the cubicle can send chills down your spine. Remember that it's a temporary situation until you get back on your feet. Focus on earning the extra income, meeting new people and contacts, and contributing to the organization while you're working there. Who knows, you're positive attitude could rub off on your co-workers.

Being a freelance writer gives you much freedom. You create your own schedule and work on projects when you like. No one tells you what time you must begin or stop your work, take vacation, or what to wear. You're in charge!

Some freelance writer's take writing from home for granted. Please don't be one of those writers. Relish your experience because you may find yourself in situation that requires you to work outside of the home. If you must take a job outside of freelance writing, be grateful that you have the opportunity to do so. You may not be thrilled at the moment, but there is someone out there who would step into your shoes in no time!

Freelance Writer Goes Back to the Cube

By Carol Tice

I haven't written much about writer's block in my year of blogging about writing, because it's not a big problem in my life. But I've read complaints from so many other writers about it, I feel I should help here.

When the rare occasion comes when I do find myself stuck, I use one of these techniques to snap out of it:

1. Use your lifeline. That's right, phone a friend, just like on the TV game shows. Then, tell them about the article you need to write. You'll find that as you chat, your story will naturally organize itself. When you hang up, jot down a few notes and you've got your outline.

2. Write about something else. If this article is stumping you, write your blog entry for the week or a letter to your mom. Just something that starts you writing. You'll probably find at the end of that writing task, it's fairly easy to switch to the one that was causing you problems.

3. Read old clips. Sometimes, when I'm intimidated by a complex article I need to organize, I crack open my clip book and leaf through it. I realize I wrote those difficult pieces, and I can write this one, too.

4. Dummy outline. This is the one I use most. If the structure of your article is boggling you and keeping you from writing, just write the name of each source down. Then go through your notes and write succinctly next to their name the most important points they make. You now have a road map of all the most interesting stuff for your story. A good starting point will likely jump right off the outline at you, and you're off and writing..

5. Write without notes, quotes or attribution. I learned this technique at a Reynolds seminar at the Seattle Times a few years back: Put all your notes aside and just write the story. Don't worry about name spellings, exact quotes, figures, who said what, nothing. Don't break your concentration by flipping around in your notes looking for factoids. Just pour it onto the page.
The important stuff will naturally rise to the top of your mind. Once you have a draft, go back and clean it up by reading through your notes for accuracy and plugging in the quotes.

6. Take a hike. I believe most writers don't move around enough. Get out and oxygenate for a half-hour and then return to your task. Almost never fails me that on the walk I start writing the article in my head, and can't wait to get back to the keyboard where I can put it down.

7. Talk to the mirror. Have a serious talk with yourself about this problem if it becomes a habit, because it's just unprofessional. You cannot earn a good living from writing if you're going to be one of those fussy-butt writers who needs all the planets in alignment before you can write. If you need to, get therapy – it'll be worth it. Missed deadlines lead to fewer good-paying writing gigs. Take your career seriously and figure out how to write your pieces on time.

7 Ways Out of Writer's Block

by Kat Foust

I personally am not a fiction writer. I have a great respect for them because they have been able to take their minds full circle to a place that I have yet been able to conquer. I haven't given up yet though! Below is some helpful information for those who wish to attempt a fiction short story or have one handy that they would like to submit to the Accentuate free entry monthly contest. Writing contests are a great way to get your writing out there without having to worry about a query or anything else short of actually writing the story!

Started in early 2008, Accentuate Services and the Accentuate Writers Forum hosts a monthly short story anthology contest with cash and merchandise prizes, and a publishing contract - with royalties - for all winning entries. Each contest is written to a previously announced theme (see below for 2010 themes).

This is a chance for published, yet to be published, or fiction-curious writers to venture into the world of fiction writing, win a cash prize and get a publishing contract with royalties - all for a FREE entry!

For 2010, the prizes, judging and scoring have all changed from 2009, so if you're new to the AWF Short Story Contest, or if you are a veteran competing writing here, be sure to read and understand the changes before submitting!

In an effort to help more writers learn from entering contests and get published, we are changing how we award prizes. We know what's important to you - the money, right? Okay, so here's the prizes!

CASH PRIZES! FREE BOOKS! FREE MERCHANDISE!

Grand Prize Winner - $100 Paid via PayPal - One Winner

* Name on the front cover of the book, title page and LOC page
* Three free copies of the anthology in which they are published
* Winner's HTML banner/button code for website or blog
* Full-page author's bio in the back of the book
* Link of your choice on the blog announcement on multiple websites
* Name included in the press releases about the anthology release
* Name included as an author in Amazon.com and B&N.com
* Book Tote with Cover Art from the book your story is printed in
* Bookmark with Cover Art from the book your story is printed in
* How to Promote Your Books & Yourself (ebook)
* Royalty contract on anthology, based on % of inclusion in the book

FIVE Additional Winners - $50 paid via PayPal

* Name listed on the title page of the interior of the book and the LOC page
* Two free copies of the anthology
* Winner's HTML banner/button code for website or blog
* Full-page author's bio in the back of the book
* Link of your choice on the blog announcement on multiple websites
* Name listed as an author on Amazon.com and B&N.com
* How to Promote Your Books & Yourself (ebook)
* Royalty contract based on % of inclusion in anthology

Michy and/or the judges are under no obligation to offer additional contracts, but reserve the right to do so when strong entries are received and are worthy of inclusion. If there are strong entries that are publish-worthy but do not actually win the contest, these stories might still be chosen as an 'Editor's Pick' for inclusion in the anthology. While these Editor's Picks will not receive a prize or upfront payment, they will receive one free copy of the book in which their writing is included and will receive the standard royalty contract on the anthology.

Editor's Choice Poetry Prize includes:

* $10 cash prize payment via PayPal
* One copy of the anthology in which your selected poem appears (per poem)
* A royalty paying contract based on your % of inclusion in the anthology for each poem
* Inclusion in the hard-cover collector's poetry edition

Writing Opportunity

Killer SEO Title Tips

By Angela Atkinson 

NPCA Magazine is seeking submissions. The publication pays $750 to $1300 per accepted article. Query first, no unsolicited manuscripts will be accepted. If the story is assigned and not accepted, you get a 33 percent kill fee. Feature articles are around 2k words.

Full writer's guidelines reprinted from the website below:

Writers’ Guidelines

Subject Matter: NPCA publishes articles about areas in the National Park System, proposed new areas, threats to parks or park wildlife, new trends in park use, legislative issues, and endangered species of plants or animals relevant to national parks.

Queries: Query first, enclosing samples/clips of your work. Include a brief outline of your idea(s) with submission. Queries should include a self-addressed stamped envelope. We do not accept unsolicited manuscripts.

Submissions: Material submitted for publication in National Parks is considered on speculation. We are not obligated to buy a manuscript, including stories we assign, until we have accepted it for publication. We pay a 33-1/3-percent kill fee if an assigned story is unacceptable. Payment is made upon acceptance and after all parties sign a letter of agreement. National Parks does not guarantee publication of manuscripts, even if accepted.

Copyright: NPCA buys First North American Serial Rights and copyrights articles as part of the collective work, National Parks. Authors must warrant their manuscripts as original and unpublished. NPCA may, at its discretion, post any article published in National Parks on any NPCA web site. Articles published in our magazine must not be subsequently published elsewhere without our permission. (Policy on reprint permission is liberal, however, and permission may be negotiated.) Authors are responsible for obtaining any necessary permission to quote from other publications and to reproduce copyrighted photographs or artwork. Enclose permission letters with material submitted.

Editing: Manuscripts are subject to editing.

Writing: Articles for National Parks should be directed to a largely nonscientific but well educated audience. Features run approximately 2,000 words. Articles should have an original slant or news hook and cover a limited subject, rather than attempt to treat a broad subject superficially. Specific examples, descriptive details, and quotes are always preferable to generalized information. The writer must be able to document factual claims, and statements should be clearly substantiated with evidence within the article. National Parks does not publish fiction, poetry, or "My trip to . . ." stories.

   As a nonprofit organization we are unable to pay research or holding fees.

   We will send out sample copies upon receipt of a check in the amount of $3.00 and 8-1/2 x 11-inch or larger self-addressed envelope.

National Parks
1300 19th St., NW, Suite 300
Washington, DC 20036

Not the gig you were looking for? Check out other WM writing opportunities!

Writing Opportunity: National Parks Conservation Association Magazine

by Kerrie McLoughlin

It can be hard to keep track of all the existing social media sites. Sometimes you probably wonder why you even joined half of them. For me, social online media has yielded quotes for articles, jobs, encouragement, wisdom, warnings, interviews, ideas, and friends. Here’s me defending some social media:

1. AuthorsDen is great if you’ve written a traditional book or e-book (or more than one) and want a place to promote these works. You can also provide a link so people can purchase your books. And of course you can make some new writer friends there.

2. Café Mom, a social networking site for moms, started in 2006 and grew to become the #8 fastest-growing site in 2007 by compete.com. It receives more than 8 million visitors per month. Café Mom is a great place for writer moms to hang out because there are a lot of groups to choose from. Plus you can promote your writing with your Journal Posts and What’s On Your Mind thought bubble. Don’t forget to add your business web site address as your outgoing message signature, then when you reply to a post or start a new topic, always click on “Yes” so your signature line shows up to all readers. WM Freelance Connection even has a Group on Cafe Mom!

3. Twitter is something I love because it’s like the fast food of social media. I can pop a topic and link on there in just a few characters, and I have it set up so what I posted also shows up on my Facebook Wall, which means all my Facebook Friends can also see what I posted.

4. Facebook is actually quite helpful if you have a wide variety of Friends. I use it to get national and local quotes for articles I’m working on and made a Fan Page for my blog. There’s also a Fan Page on Facebook for The WM Freelance Connection … so updates to the blog show up on your main Facebook page. When I post a new eHow.com article, I have the option of having it post as my Facebook Status Update, which drives traffic to my articles. When I hear people trashing Facebook as just a time-waster, I quickly defend it by saying I use it to promote my writing and my blog (well, most of the time).

5. My Space is one I don’t really use, although I do have an account there. I think it’s too hard to navigate and find people, and I feel like I’ve just left an adult bookstore when I log out. I'd be interested in your views of My Space, oh dear smart readers of this blog.

6. LinkedIn is awesome for a variety of reasons, most of which I am not even aware yet. I like to use it to get testimonials about my writing for my Author Web Site and to get Linked to editors to see what they are up to. I’ve also learned about jobs through some writing groups I’ve joined on there. On my main page, my personal and author blogs update on LinkedIn, so people can see what you are up to on a variety of fronts. Rebecca wrote a great piece about LinkedIn here.

7. Writing blogs (like this awesome one you’re reading now) are a great place to meet like-minded writing individuals.

8. WritersCafe says it "is an online writing community where writers can post their work, get reviews, befriend other writers, and much more." This is a site I'm still playing around with, considering I've been to the Forum to find friends and some of the threads were last posted to 2 YEARS ago.

9. Yahoo Groups are a good thing to search and sign up for to get encouragement and find writing jobs, interviews and so much more.

Got more social sites for writers? Leave 'em in the Comments section for us.

Navigating Social Media

By Pam Houghton

I've resolved to using social media to get my name out there in cyberspace. For someone who's not a natural at self-promotion, it's a challenge. However, since no one's banging on my door to make use of my literary skill, I've got to get my work out there and show 'em what I can do.

Initially, it felt awkward to share my articles and blog posts on various social media sites. But because of my web presence, other writers have found me on Facebook and LinkedIn. Now I'm connected to people who not only live in different time zones, but different hemispheres as well. Since I'm still in the infancy stages with social media, I figure that's a good sign. The key is to leverage it creatively for payback further down the road.

Here are my experiences so far:

Facebook

When I first started writing for The Examiner, I posted articles on my personal Facebook page to drive traffic to my Detroit Working Moms Examiner page. Initially, it was awkward to share them. I felt like I was cluttering up my Facebook friends' pages with unwanted junk mail. Because I had to get over that discomfort and learn the art of web-based self-promotion, it wasn't long before I was sharing every stinking Examiner article on my Facebook page. Every once in a while, someone used the "Like" feature to indicate they liked one of the articles. Woo-hoo!

LinkedIn

I posted my Examiner articles on LinkedIn too, although I had to find the right audience. Since the articles were geared toward working moms, I submitted them as news articles to groups such as Moms-on-the-Job, The Integrated Mother Network and All Moms Work. I also posted them in my MSU Alumni Association group where, surprisingly, some of the articles seemed to really connect with the readers there. (Maybe they were just supporting a fellow Spartan.)

Likewise, I submit posts from this blog as news articles on the writer groups I belong to on LinkedIn. The key is finding the right audience for your stuff. If a story really connects, readers may add comments. Articles that get a lot of comments go into "discussion" mode and continue to cycle through daily e-mail updates for that group, giving an article (and you) additional exposure.

For a good overall view on how to use LinkedIn, see Carol Tice's Thursday post.

My Own Website

I couldn't proceed in my freelance career without a website. I had to prove that even though I'd been employed in a completely different occupation for 20-plus years, I had been writing all along. And that I'd been published. So I hired someone to design a website where my published clips and corporate writing projects could reside in an online portfolio. Plus I could link to sites (such as this one) for current writing examples. I don't have the functionality to know where my traffic is coming from. However, with administrative privileges, I can see the data that shows which pages are more frequently visited than others.

Blogs (this one and my own personal blog)

The beauty of writing for this blog, The WM Freelance Connection, is the built-in audience. I don't have to hunt down followers. Plus I like the structure of knowing that I post one day a week (Saturday), and all content is related to the subject of writing. This is unlike my personal blog, where I struggle to muster up ideas every time I consider a post. Even so, it gives me the latitude to write about just about anything...and hopefully, over time, I'll create a consistent personal blogging style.

photo by irisfeer/stock.xchng

Tips for Writers: Promoting the ME in Social MEdia

By Rebecca Sebek

Twitter is a social media outlet that has mesmerized the world. Celebrities, big corporations, small businesses, authors, bloggers, and individuals use Twitter to connect with people. For those who are still unsure about Twitter it's "a real-time information network powered by people all around the world that lets you share and discover what’s happening now." You have 140 characters to make an impact on your followers. Hopefully, you'll gain more business and traffic from your Tweets (your postings). Marketing yourself with a sexy Twitter background isn't a bad idea.

If you don't have a customized background, you have the option of using one of Twitter's standard backgrounds. These backgrounds are not the best way to position you on Twitter. It's best to have a Twitter background that matches your blog, website, and brand.

Twitter backgrounds at your finger tips

There are many websites that provide you with backgrounds. These may not be exactly what you're looking for, but they're better than nothing. Most websites categorize their backgrounds which makes it easier for you to locate a design that will fit with your blog or website's color and design scheme.


Links to Twitter background

Twitrounds
Twitr Backgrounds
TwitterBackgrounds
Twitter-Backgrounds
TwitBacks
Twitter-Images

Customizing your Twitter background

You can create a customized Twitter background using Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, or some other graphics program. The dimensions will depend on your computer. Some people use dimensions such as a width of 1920 and height of 1000. This gives you more space to create your background. It's important to leave at least five inches of dead space on both sides of your background for the Twitter white posting area.

Example of Twitter background measurements

Image width: 1255 pixels
Image height: 555 pixels
Left graphic width: 245 pixels
Right graphic width: 250 pixels

Please note that these are general standard measures. There are other dimensions based on different computer monitor screens.

Choose a color palette that matches your website. Use graphics from your website or find other pictures that are similar. The goal is to have continuity. Again, it's about marketing yourself and your brand on Twitter.

How to utilize Twitter

Most people don't think about their Twitter background, but it's just as important as the Tweets you post. People will remember and recognize you if you're website and Twitter background match or at least complement each other.

Keep your Tweets short, to the point, and make sure they add value to your readers. Avoid posting personal information such as "you just had your gall bladder out!" This is only appropriate if you blog about medical topics or you're a celebrity like Ashton Kutcher who has over 1 million followers.

Marketing yourself with Twitter can increase traffic to your website and help you gain clients. You're not the only one on Twitter. Having a sexy, snappy background will help you stand out from the crowd!

Marketing Yourself with a SexyTwitter Background

LinkedIn is a highly useful social-media site for writers looking to connect with possible editors, copywriting clients, sources and other writers. If you haven't already built a profile on LinkedIn, I recommend it -- it's one of only three or four social-media sites I use with any frequency. Get on, fully flesh out your profile, and start connecting with people you already know to build your links.

How Writers Can Benefit From LinkedIn's Features

by Kat Foust

When you're in any kind of business at all, the foundation of that business is exposure. No matter what product or service you're selling, if people aren't aware that you're selling it, they are never going to buy it.

Writing is no different. Social media helps us to expose our work to the public. Not only that, but it helps us to develop more resources and learn from other writers. My personal favorite way of using social media is by using writer's forums and groups. These are great places to meet other writers, learn writing skills, develop ideas and find more work.

One of the ways that these groups and forums works so well is simply by being a place to drop off links. Most forums and groups encourage promoting one's work. They do require that you post more than just a link, but that gives you a chance to be social as well. Did you know that part of Google ranking is based on the amount of links to a site? It's not only a matter of people coming to your links, it's the quantity that are found across the web. Hence a person with a site and only one link to it isn't going to get the page rank that a site with ten links is going to get. Not only that, but some companies like Brighthub, actually pay you to put links to your articles out there.

The forum I'm most active on is Accentuate Writers Forum . I enjoy the people there. They are very encouraging and personable. Of course, WM has its own group as well and I encourage you to join. The idea is not only to promote your work, but to develop relationships with people who understand the profession and each have their own point of view.

If you don't belong to a writers forum or writing group, then why not create one of your own? Facebook and Yahoo both offer free services to groups, as do many other social media sites such as Myspace. It's worth the effort to promote your work and cultivate professional relationships.

Writing Forums and Groups

Social Media Dangers: Cyber Stalkers

By Angela Atkinson

Most everyone who's anyone is actively involved in some form of social media these days, and freelance writers are no exception. The great news for writers is that we're natural communicators, and social media is practically made for us. Not only can we promote our own services, but we can use our expertise to promote the services of our clients, thereby increasing our income potential.

What is Social Media?

Social media is basically a type of online media in which people communicate, share links and photos, network and discuss. Social networks also often provide feedback, comments, polls and voting, and generally share information of interest to (usually) targeted people.

What Makes Social Media Different Than Plain Old Advertising?

Instead of the traditional one-way broadcast or print advertising, businesses and other professional individuals can use it to carry on a two-way dialogue, allowing current or potential customers and clients to feel connected or linked to "real people" through direct interaction. And, most often, social networking is free or relatively cheap, in comparison to more traditional methods of advertising and networking.

Social Media Week at The WM Freelance Connection

Each of our writers this week will cover a different angle on social media--from specific forms of social media to tips for using them successfully, and everything in between. To start the week off, please enjoy this short, dynamic video, full of interesting facts about social media and the effect it has on our society today.



In case that didn't convince you, let's discuss some of the benefits of social media for freelance writers.

Website Traffic/Blog Hits/Page Views

Whether you're a blogger looking for hits, a freelancer looking for new clients or a content mill writer looking for page views to help boost your income, social media is your friend. Social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter, Myspace and LinkedIn are great places to submit your links and information. Not only can you reach people who want to read your work, but you may also be able to find new business. And, gaining popularity on sites like Reddit or Digg can help to significantly increase the quality (read: related or relevant) links to your sites.

Stay Informed

Active participation in social media offers freelance writers the ability to stay up-to-date on news and trends, both for the purpose of writing as well as for managing your freelance business.

Expand Your Network

You can gain job leads, find interesting people for human interest stories and topic experts for your journalistic articles. Plus, you'll often make connections that can help you in future endeavors. For example, a PR agent I worked with on a story recently sent a long-term private client my way. Social networking can also help you to get new story ideas, brainstorm ideas with and learn from other writers and even find a writing partner or group to join.

Friends With Benefits

Joining niche-specific groups is a great way to not only stay informed on your chosen niche, but also a way to gain readers and related contacts.  As well, commenting on and following related blogs can also draw you into a like-minded community.

The Tip of the Iceberg

I've just barely scratched the surface of the many benefits and uses of social media today. Check back each day this week as our writers delve into the specifics of social media and social networking and how it works for freelance writers.

Social Media: That's What It's All About

by Kerrie McLoughlin

Ever since I was a little girl I wanted to be a writer. And for some reason I thought I had to be a FICTION writer. So I tried and pushed and took creative writing classes in high school and junior college and came up with … nothing. My real-life stories always got better grades and flowed more easily, but still I thought fiction was the way to go. Maybe I was searching for fame and fortune.

When I was in my late twenties (at my job as an office manager) I fell into writing a few “thank you for your donation to our charity” and “please give money to our charity” letters. I liked the money and the challenge to say the same thing several different ways while trying to appeal to people’s heartstrings and wallets.

I’m 38 now and think I’m just hitting my stride as a writer of all kinds of things that have nothing to do with fame OR fortune. My husband wishes I would put off writing until the kids are grown (they range in age currently from 5 months to 8 years), but something in me JUST CAN’T DO THAT. It’s taken me this long to gain the experience and passion I need to be a writer, and I can’t ignore the ideas that swirl around in my head.

Whether you write fiction, non-fiction, poetry, essays, marketing manuals, travel information or [insert your writing passion here], I’d love to know how old you were when you got started.

It's never too late to get published!

Starting a Writing Career Over Age 30

By Pam Houghton

Last week, I wrote about my adventure getting published in the Christian Science Monitor.

I recently submitted another essay to them, and thought their auto-reply would be useful to anyone looking to pitch essays or poems, published in the Home Forum section, to a well-respected publication.

The nice thing about this response is they're pretty specific about what they're looking for, and if you don't hear from them within three weeks, you can pretty much figure they took a pass. I love knowing where I stand!

It's a long shot to get in - they get a lot of submissions. But you never know when yours might hit the right chord. Mine did - once. I got lucky!

Here it is.

Thank you for your submission. This automatic response confirms that we have received your poem or essay and will contact you within two weeks if we plan to use it.

For additional information about The Home Forum, please keep reading:

OVERVIEW

The Home Forum looks for upbeat, personal essays from 400 to 800 words. We also welcome short poems (no more than 18 lines). All material must be original and previously unpublished. For seasonal material, be aware that if you submit something that is about a particular month, holiday, event (back to school, graduation), or season, we need to receive it a minimum of six weeks ahead (the earlier the better).

MORE ON ESSAYS
These are first-person, nonfiction explorations of how you responded to a place, a person, a situation, an event, or happenings in everyday life. Tell a story; share a funny true tale. The humor should be gentle.

We accept essays on a wide variety of subjects, and encourage timely, newsy topics. However, we don’t deal with the topics of death, aging and disease.

Some examples:
www.csmonitor.com/2007/1115/p18s03-hfes.html
www.csmonitor.com/2002/0605/p18s03-hfes.html
www.csmonitor.com/2008/1119/p17s01-lifo.html

We are always looking for essays on travel, parenting (your experiences with children as opposed to advice for someone else), home, family, gardening, neighborhood, and community.

Some examples:
http://www.csmonitor.com/2006/0324/p18s03-hfgn.html
http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/0803/p19s01-hfes.html
http://www.csmonitor.com/2005/1027/p18s03-hfes.html

We are unable to accept travel pieces that are the result of a sponsored trip (i.e., the writer accepted free transportation, lodging, etc.)

MORE ON POETRY

Poetry that appears in The Home Forum explores and celebrates life. It provides a respite from the bleakness that appears in so much contemporary verse. We are particularly interested in poetry that has an international flavor or that offers some global or cultural insights. Short poems are more likely to be accepted (because of space constraints) than poems that are more than 18 lines long.

We do not publish work that presents people in helpless or hopeless states. Nor do we print poetry about death, aging, and illness, or anything dark, violent, sensual or overtly religious.

Submissions are now accepted only by e-mail, one poem per e-mail; no more than 5 poems submitted at one time. In order to preserve line breaks and indents, you may want to consider using a Microsoft Word attachment. (We are not able to open any other attachments. If you don’t use Word, just paste the text into the e-mail.)

HOW TO PITCH AND FOLLOW UP

Personal essays, travel, and poetry: Submit finished work only, via e-mail: homeforum@csmonitor.com

Please be aware that if your e-mail account has a spam filter that blocks messages from “unauthorized” senders – and you have not added Home Forum to your authorized list -- you will not hear from us.

Thank you for not e-mailing the section’s editors directly; that only slows down consideration of your work. Always use homeforum@csmonitor.com. We are not able to respond to individual submissions, but will contact you within two weeks of receiving your essay or poem if we plan to use it.

PLEASE NOTE
Be sure to include your contact information (e-mail address, daytime telephone, mailing address) with your submission. Please include a word count with essay submissions.

We are unable to accept:
Faxed submissions.
Telephone queries.
Simultaneous submissions.
Previously published material.
Articles that result from a press trip, free lodging or meals, etc.

We look forward to working with you.

The Home Forum editors

Writing Opportunity: The Christian Science Monitor