Angela Booth's Writing Blog

Multiple daily writing tips: get them free

Want more than your free weekly writing tips?

Here you go -- Angela Booth's Life Stream. You'll get free daily writing tips and much more, when you subscribe -- just click the button or the Subscribe to this Posterous link:

My Life Stream blog is on Posterous. If you want to discover how to create your own writer's Web site just by writing email messages, all the details are in next week's Fab Freelance Writing Ezine in which our topic is: Writing Web Sites for Profit. This issue will be out on Tuesday. Enjoy. :-)

Ezine: Web Writing – Get On Board, There's a LOT of Money to Be Made

In next week's issue of Fab Freelance Writing Ezine our topic is Web writing.

Here's an excerpt from the Editorial, "Web Writing – Get On Board, There's a LOT of Money to Be Made":

[In this issue] all we can do is scratch the surface: there are unlimited (not hyperbole) opportunities in Web writing.

Next week, for example, we're going to cover one special opportunity you should be aware of: Writing Web Sites for Profit.

Here's a warning. When it comes to Web writing, there's much uninformed opinion around, and that uninformed opinion can not only cripple your career, it can downright kill it.

Here's an example of uninformed opinion.

Read the complete issue to discover how you're being misinformed when it comes to Web writing.

Fab Freelance Writing Ezine is packed with writing tips each week. It's essential reading if you want to make money writing... and of course, it's completely free.

Make money writing from home: ditch your day job forever

If you can write, you can make money writing from home. The Web has made it possible for ANY writer, no matter how new or inexperienced, to turn writing into a fabulous career. If you're stuck in a soul-destroying, or just boring job, writing is your way out.

Fab Freelance Ezine helps you - subscribe and receive the free report: "Freelance Writing for Beginners: Great Opportunities to Make Money Today". It's 21 pages packed with information to help you to develop a six-figure writing career.

Writing: how to get more great ideas every day

Want to get great ideas for your writing? Ideas are everywhere. Chances are you get dozens of great ideas between the time you get out of bed, and while you're having your first cup of coffee.

All writers get more great ideas than they know what to do with; if you don't, it's because you're damming up the flow. At some stage, you've told your subconscious mind, by your behavior, NOT to give you ideas. You can retrain your subconscious.

Here's how.

1. Be prepared: know when your ideas flow

The way to get more great ideas is to notice the ideas you have. Most ideas come when you're not actively working, you're doing something else.

Oddly enough, I get my best ideas in the shower. It's horribly predictable that as soon as the water starts cascading down, I get a flow of ideas.

I've been known to leap out, all soapy, dry off my hands, and scribble notes.

Nowadays I take a digital recorder into the bathroom, jump out, and then talk the notes into the recorder. As soon as I'm dressed, I go to the computer, and mind map the notes. Once the notes are in mind map form, I know they won't escape.

You'll find that the more you notice, and USE any ideas you get, the more of them you get.

2. Ask for more ideas: affirm you're creative

Your subconscious mind will obey you. Just say to yourself "I'm creative. I get lots of great ideas, every single day." Keep repeating this affirmation, and ideas will flow.

Use mind maps, as I do. I'm an avid mind mapper. I create mind maps on my computer, on index cards, on sticky notes, and on the iPhone (I use iBlueSky, it's great.)

Your mind maps let you capture your ideas, so that they can trigger more, and better, ideas.

3. Create lots of projects: ideally, finish them

At any one time, I'm always working on around 20 active projects. These projects include client work for my copywriting practice, articles for my magazine clients, as well as my own projects.

Once you start paying attention to your ideas, and using them, you'll create lots of projects. You won't finish some of them. (You'll finish client projects of course, that goes without saying.)

Don't get stressed over this. Feel free to dump projects onto the back burner. Remember, ideas are everywhere, and you'll get more great ideas every day. So what if you don't complete them all? There's no law which says that you must.

Yes ago, I was compulsive about completing projects I started. I'm sure this was due to my upbringing. Finally I decided that this was a silly attitude. Why work on a project I didn't want to work on, when I had better ideas lined up?

In a nutshell: to get more great ideas every day, pay attention to your ideas, and tell yourself you're creative.

If you have idea-generating tips which work for you, share them in the Comments.

End your writing procrastination: become a prolific writer TODAY

Are you procrastinating? If so, you're feeling frustrated and guilty. You know you can write, and you know you should be writing, but you can't.

Now you can. You can end writing procrastination for good. Discover how you can become the prolific writer you were born to be with my bestselling ebook "Top 70 Writing Tips To Help You To Write More".

You'll discover 70 ways in which you can write more, no matter who you are, or what your level of writing experience.

The 70 tips will help you to plan your writing time, stick to a writing schedule, and get more energy, so that writing is a pleasure for you.

End procrastination for good today, with "Top 70 Writing Tips To Help You To Write More" - you can make writing easy and fun.

Writing: get out of your comfort zone

As a writer, you need to be aware of your comfort zone.

Your comfort zone is that area of your writing life where you feel safe.

Paradoxically, no matter how safe it feels, your comfort zone is dangerous, because it will make you feel either complacent, or "not good enough"... it prevents you from becoming the writer you can and should be.

To extend your writing skills, and build a writing career, you need to be prepared to move out of your comfort zone whenever you start to feel too comfortable, or whenever you feel envious of other writers.

I offer coaching with most of my writing products, and 99 per cent of the time, I need to help students to get out of their comfort zone, even if they're unaware they're in one. :-)

Signs you're in a comfort zone:

* You say things like "I've got nothing to write about", "my writing is boring", "no one would be interested..." etc

* You think things like: I don't have enough experience, I'm too young, old, don't have enough education, what would my parents/ friends etc think...

* You're SCARED... (being scared is actually a good thing)

When I'm working with students, all the advice I offer and the steps I tell a student to take are based on his/ her personality, and level of writing experience.

Firstly I like to give students an easy writing process to follow so that they can write on demand, and feel competent. Having a process which works for you is essential, you need to know that even on your worst day, with a migraine which would slaughter an elephant, you can nevertheless WRITE, because you know how to get the words out of yourself and onto the computer screen.

Then I create a game plan for them which gets them motivated, inspired and EAGER to get out of their comfort zone.

Are you in your comfort zone? Get out of it -- staying too long is dangerous.

End your writing procrastination: become a prolific writer TODAY

Are you procrastinating? If so, you're feeling frustrated and guilty. You know you can write, and you know you should be writing, but you can't.

Now you can. You can end writing procrastination for good. Discover how you can become the prolific writer you were born to be with my bestselling ebook "Top 70 Writing Tips To Help You To Write More".

You'll discover 70 ways in which you can write more, no matter who you are, or what your level of writing experience.

The 70 tips will help you to plan your writing time, stick to a writing schedule, and get more energy, so that writing is a pleasure for you.

End procrastination for good today, with "Top 70 Writing Tips To Help You To Write More" - you can make writing easy and fun.

Article Marketing for Writers: Make Money and Get Known -- in Your Spare Time

Want to make money writing in your spare time? Consider article marketing. When it's done well, you can easily transition from being a part-time writer to full time, making much more than you could at most day jobs. Let's look at how you can do that.

1. Content Marketing Is Big on the Web: Study Web Content First

Firstly, realize that article marketing (also known as content marketing) has hit the big time, because of search engines like Google. Content drives massive traffic to Web sites, which means that, especially in the current economic climate, more and more businesses are using this promotional strategy.

This means that if you're serious about article marketing, you need to educate yourself, and study Web content. Writing Web articles is very different from writing for print.

Unfortunately, currently the bulk of Web articles aren't well written. This leads some writers to think that they can turn out junk, and make money, because at the moment, they can.

However, realize that your name, and building your name as an article writer is a priority, because the bigger your name, the more you can charge. So don't write junk. The Web is more or less forever, and junk articles won't build your name in a good way.

Write well: taking both the search engines, and readers, into account as you write.

2. Develop Your Article Writing Skills: Practice Develops Skill

All writing is a skill. Here's the good thing about article writing: everything is trackable on the Web. Therefore, you'll soon see which of your articles receive the most views, and this helps you to write better articles.

Don't begrudge the time it takes you to learn and build your skills, because even as a new writer, you can earn -- your "practice" articles can nevertheless make money for you. As your skills increase, so do the fees you can charge.

3. Promote Your Writing Services With Article Marketing, Realizing that Volume Counts

The people who buy your writing know (unless they're as new to the Web as you may be), that volume counts. This is the reason they're adding content to their sites.

You also need to be aware of this, so use article marketing to build your own site's visibility in the search engines. Add content to your site, and promote your services using articles too.

There's never been a better time to be a writer. You can easily make a great deal of money in your spare time, and in the process, develop a profitable full time writing career, using article marketing.

"Go From Zero To Making $250 Per Hour For Web Writing - Kick Off Your Web Writing Career In 24 Hours!"

There's great money in Web writing. Some Web writers are making $20,000 a month by blogging for a stable of sites. Others are writing articles or ebooks.

Want to jump on this opportunity? No matter what your level of writing skill, you can make great money writing for the Web too.

Get a full year of weekly assignments; become a Web writing pro with Sell Your Writing Online NOW.

Write for The Genie: you never know when he will appear

For weekend writers, I just wrote "Surprise! Surprise yourself, and others, in your writing", which encourages you to use surprises in your writing.

Your writing itself will often surprise you, when it has effects you could never have predicted.

Through your writing, you may meet someone who can totally change your life. A blog post may deliver a big new client. An article you write may produce the seed of a book. Your writing may suddenly change direction, and take you from boredom to exhilaration.

Without knowing it, when you're writing, you're writing for The Genie, as Andy Nulman suggests in this blog post: Make A Wish (or "I Dream of Genie")--Theory 25

"Meeting The Genie is akin to a raffle. Do nothing, you have no chance. Buy one ticket, you have one chance. Buy 100 tickets, and you increase your probability 100-fold. It's rare that The Genie will come to you. So do the work. The math is simple. It's the black-box outcome process that's complicated."

Read the entire post... then keep writing. You'll meet your own Genies. :-)

Write more - become a pro writer

Yes, you can write more and become an expert writer - even if you're a world-class procrastinator.

Did you know that when you write more, your writing improves? Many of my writing students experience this. They find that when they write more, writing is easier for them - they're not dominated by their inner editor.

My new writing class, "Write More And Make More Money From Your Writing: Develop A Fast, Fun Productive Writing Process" is based on lessons I developed for my private coaching students to help them to write more, improve their writing, and make more money writing.

If you're struggling with your writing, the class will help. The techniques you'll learn in class with help you write fiction, nonfiction, and copy for business.

Discover how you can write more, improve your writing, and sell more of your writing to higher-paying markets.

Surprise! Surprise yourself, and others, in your writing

see more Lolcats and funny pictures

Writing is a journey of discovery.

At least once in any writing session, you'll surprise yourself... that's the magic of writing, and it's what makes writing so much fun.

This weekend, dear weekend writer, think about how you can surprise your readers.

If you're writing a novel, brainstorm SIX surprises for your main characters, and for the location of your story.

If you're writing articles, use the word "surprise" in SIX article titles.

If you're writing a nonfiction book, think about how you can surprise your readers. Discover SIX surprising facts about the topic of your book, and include them. You may find that your book takes on new life.

Everyone loves to be surprised (as long as the surprise is a nice one), so give your readers the gift of surprise this weekend.

Kick off Your Web Writing Career FAST

Here's what a subscriber, who's a new writer, said about Sell Your Writing Online NOW (SYWON): "I'm loving it! I just made my first-ever sale of my writing – ten articles a week, for three months. I'm so excited..."

52 weeks of Angela Booth's amazing SYWON training gives you a COMPLETE training in Web writing. It's the key to a successful writing career, with unlimited opportunities, and a great write-from-home income.

Enhance Your Writing Process: take your writing to a whole new level

In next week's Fab Freelance Ezine, our theme is "Enhance Your Writing Process". It will, I'm sure, take your writing to a whole new level.

I often write about the writing process, not only because it fascinates me (how do writers do what they do?), but also because I know that many of my writing students struggle with it.

Next week's ezine is packed with tips, and it's my sincere hope that at least one will resonate with you, and will super-charge your writing.

Enjoy. :-)

This issue is out on Tuesday.

Unsuccessful Blog? You Must Know That It's Not About the Blog

In next week's issue of Fab Freelance Writing Ezine, our theme is blogging... sort of.

We cover an important blogging issue, and if your blog's not as successful as it could be, don't miss it.

Here's an excerpt from the Editorial:

Blogs became mainstream in around 2004, so by now every writer either has a blog, or feels guilty because he doesn't.

In my chats with writers however, I've come to realize that many/ most writers interpret the instruction to "Get a blog!" or claims about what blogging can do for their writing career in a very limited way.

They think their blog is about blogging. Your blog shouldn't be about blogging per se, and when you blog, it's not about the blog. If that makes sense. :-)

Your blog is just a tool. It's what you do with it that counts, and if you feel that "blogging doesn't work" it's invariably because you've either had no specific goals for a blog, or tried to get one poor little blog to do too much.

It's very common for example to see writers' blogs which are about everything and nothing at all. One post is about a movie the writer saw, the next is a discussion about brands of coffee, the next is about what the writer is currently writing, or trying to write...

This issue is out on Tuesday.

Make Money Writing and Build a Great Career

Get free weekly writing tips...

Want to make money with your writing? Fab Freelance Writing Ezine is your free weekly resource.

Build your skills, get motivated - it's never been easier to build a great writing career.

Whether you're a brand new writer, or are an established pro, Fab Freelance Writing Ezine is packed with writing tips you can use.

Here's what a new writer said: "I've always wanted to sell my writing - you showed me how. I made three sales on one day, just from my blog."

You and Fab Freelance Writing Ezine are a powerful combination. Subscribe today... it's free.

Blogging: get benefits from a dead blog

Blogging takes a commitment of time and energy. Both are in short supply: we each have just 24 hours in a single day. So it's natural that sometimes blogging falls by the wayside, and you realize that (SHOCK) you haven't updated a blog in months.

Relax -- blogging should be fun: if it's not fun for you, stop doing it. :-) Don't feel guilty about a dead blog, but do take steps to ensure that you still get value from the blog, even if you're not updating it.

Firstly, ask yourself why you created the blog.

There are many reasons for starting a blog: creating a portfolio blog to get blog jobs, creating a platform and online presence for yourself, making money, for fun, for a project which didn't work out, etc.

Write down your reason.

Now work out how you can use your "dead" blog in the months and years to come.

Here are some ideas.

1. If you created a portfolio blog

There's nothing further you need to do. The blog is a testament to your blogging expertise, so don't feel guilty if you don't have time to update it. Add the blog's URL to your electronic and paper portfolios, and add it as one of your sites on social networking sites like LinkedIn and Facebook.

2. If you created the blog to build your platform

If your blog's aim was to get you visibility, then link to the blog from other online properties you own. And as in #1 above, link to it from social networking sites.

Add a short post to the blog: "This blog is no longer being updated. Visit my new blog/ site at __________, and contact me at _______"

3. If your blog is a money-maker

If your blog's making money for you, there's little you need to do. Chances are you're still making an income from it, but the income will drop as the site loses presence in the search engines.

I have many "money" blogs, and sometimes I don't update them for months. The money continues to come in from advertising and affiliate revenue.

In your diary, make a note to review the blog once a month. You don't need to add content, but change any affiliate links which haven't made a sale within the month. Swap the old links for a newer product which may make sales for you.

4. If your blog is for a defunct project

Follow the advice in #1 above -- use the blog as part of your portfolio, or sell it.

5. If you no longer need the blog, sell it

If the blog's of no further use to you as a part of your portfolio or for any other reason, sell it -- there are many sites online where you can sell a blog.

Try eBay, in the "Internet Businesses & Websites" listings, and Sitepoint's Marketplace, for example.

Big tip: old blogs like old wines, increase in value over time. Search engines like Google give authority status to older sites, so your apparently worthless blog today may bring in big dollars tomorrow. Let the blog age -- look on it as an online investment, because that's what it is.

Never, ever DELETE a blog. A few months back a writer told me she'd deleted a ten year old site ... she almost cried when I told her that that site would have easily brought her $15,000 to $20,000 on Sitepoint.

Want to know how to make money blogging? Professional blogging is one of the skills you'll discover in Sell Your Writing Online NOW (SYWON) training. It's an essential skill for a Web writing career.

Discover the world of Web writing - make a great income writing from home, or from anywhere

Sell Your Writing Online NOW

There's great money in Web writing. Some Web writers are making $20,000 a month by blogging for a stable of sites. Others are writing articles or ebooks.

Join the Web writing gold rush with Angela Booth's comprehensive training: "Sell Your Writing Online Now".