Paths to Becoming a Successful Writer

Becoming a successful writer is hard work. Many months or years may go by before your work is published. Writers take personal ownership of success through diligence and perseverance. It's not easy to work at something regularly for a long time and not receive a monetary reward right away. 

But then there are those times in life when we seem to be in the right place at the right time. An opportunity comes along when we weren't expecting it! (or working for it). I think it's a good thing to anticipate those moments.

We're all on a path.

We know our destination, but what the scenery looks like on the way isn't always predictable. We're human and there is only so much we can accomplish. We have to be careful we don't bury our heads in so much work, we become anxious, frustrated, exhausted, and even depressed when success seems out of reach.

Whatever your belief system, I am sure we can agree, the moments of being at the right place at the right time comes to all of us now and then. A breakthrough, a connection, an idea, someone who knows someone - just "happens" to come our way. It's not luck for a certain few. It's a gift sent to us in different ways and meant to encourage, inspire, and yes, even clear the path for success. 

The important part is to remember and be grateful for those moments. It will give you a healthy, balanced perspective.  

By all means, work your hardest. But don't forget to revel in the expectation of being in the right place at the right time. Enjoy your path!

How about you? Have you had a moment that seemed to come out of nowhere, helping you succeed in your writing career? What was it and what did it do for you?

~~~

Kathleen Moulton is a freelance writer.  You can find her passion to bring encouragement and hope to people of all ages at When It Hurts -http://kathleenmoulton.com/

Photo Credit: Etrusia UK / Foter.com / CC BY-NC-SA

Planning for Success

We are having a big family reunion this weekend to coincide with our son's wedding and our house-warming in our new home. The relocation itself took almost 2 years to plan as we searched for the right location and the right home.The planning for a successful and stress free family gathering has  been in the works for over 3 months.

 In the process of trying to plan a successful family gathering it occurred to me that it is similar to the writing process. There are certain steps that I take in planning any big event that I want to turn out so why wouldn't the process work for a successful writing career.

First, I researched. Research included looking at properties, schools, churches, shopping etc for the relocation and it was detailed. I took notes, made calls, read whatever I could get my hands on, and talked in person with the people who knew what I needed to know. Writing articles, books, poems, or cartoons deserves the same research for market, style, topic, ideas, and anything else that would make the piece reach the heart of the reader. In essence, research is the first part of the writing process.

The next part of the writing process is the planning stage where you lay out all the research and start making decisions about which information is essential and which parts of the research can be kept on hold. Planning is part of any successful action whether it is planning a party or planning an article.

Implementing the plan is when you get down and dirty with action steps that make the plan go from a plan into an event or end product. You clean and cook preparing for guests, you write (cook) your words and then you revise (clean and polish) to prepare your manuscript.

At different stages of any action plan you must take time to assess. The assessment gives you the information you need get the project or event just right. Planning a party or planning a book takes the same assessment at different times to make sure you are still on track. Take a look at what can be added to make your writing piece shine or maybe what you can delete.

Evaluation is the last step. In my case, we will hope the guests have a good time, no one is hurt or sick, and that the house is still standing after three nights of campfires, cookouts, and a wedding. In the case of your writing your hope should be personal pride and satisfaction in a job well done and of course the ultimate goal of publication. You want to reach your readers with a product they love.

It seems that when things don't go as planned we deem the project a failure but in fact it is all part of a learning and growing process. In the case of a party or event, changes can be made for the next time. Maybe less cooking, more relaxing, and fewer expectations. In the case of your writing projects, a revision can change things and make your story or article a success. Killing the character or changing the focus of a piece can be just the right thing. And sometimes the piece is perfect just the way it is but the target audience may need to change. It may take you back to the research step but then you continue with the process until you succeed.

No matter what you do in life, it seems planning will lead to success if you follow the steps and listen to your heart. Don't bypass the research or short change the process and expect success. All successes take a plan and planning is hard work. What is your plan for success?

Freelance Writing - An Education for the Uninitiated

An education in freelance writing for the uninitiated

Guest Post By Nadia Jones
Freelancing is tough work for any trade, but freelance writers looking for work on the web have it particularly rough. I say that to anyone who expresses interest in freelancing just so they know what they're getting into. Freelancing can be a rewarding and empowering gig, but it takes serious effort and talent to make it big.

Why is freelance writing so difficult? In this (freelance) writer's opinion, it largely has to do with the sheer number of writers on the blogosphere competing for coverage and attention. Some are professional journalists and writers looking to make a living off their web writing, others are simply entrepreneurial bloggers who lack real writing experience but possess social media savvy that can pave the way for success.

Long story short: there's a ton of competition out there. So how is a person interested in freelancing expected to make a splash in an already saturated market? Consider my tips on the subject.

I wholeheartedly encourage writers to try out freelancing for themselves to see if they like it. But what I don't advocate is for those same writers to quite their day jobs and take up freelancing as their sole source of income.

It's possible to be self-sufficient on paid gigs through freelancing, but it takes time to build up that kind of loyal client base. A newcomer to freelancing would be better off keeping their job and freelancing on the side until they start making considerable profits from their efforts. Doing it any other way is simply foolhardy.

Search for potential clients and viable projects whenever you're on the web
Writers interested in freelancing should look for opportunities whenever they're on the web. A seemingly infinite number of writing opportunities await freelancers; they just have to know where to look for them. Many blogs accept guest post submissions from qualified and insightful writers, for instance.

You never know where an opportunity might pop up—maybe someone on your Twitter feed is asking for some help writing content for their site, or perhaps your favorite blog offered guest posting and you never even realized it. The point is that you keep your eyes peeled for these opportunities whenever you're online.

Don't be picky about assignments
In the same vein as the previous point, I have to emphasize that freelance writers refrain from being choosy about their assignments. For example, say a writer comes across some drab medical blog looking for writing help that doesn’t remotely pertain to their personal writing interests. While it's tempting to pass up that opportunity in hopes that something "better" will come your way, the writer would be much better off if they took the gig.

Why do I say that? Because you never know when you'll encounter work, and keeping busy on work that doesn’t exactly excite you is much better than sitting idle and wishing you had something to write about! Writing is rarely as glamorous as its made to be in popular culture, and aspiring freelancers should learn that truth sooner than later if they want to become a seasoned writer.

Nadia Jones works as a freelance blogger a number of websites, including sites focused higher education and online colleges. When she’s not writing about the overlap of technology and higher education, Nadia writes on topics as wide ranging as the food industry, small business, and the latest in mobile tech. Feel free to leave Nadia some comments!

~~~~~~~~~~
More on Freelance Writing

Writing for Money – Breaking Into Freelance Writing
Freelance Writing Work: The Possibilities
A Ghost Writer: 5 Features That Can Help Your Business Part 1

~~~~~~~~~~
To keep up with writing and marketing information, along with Free webinars, join us in The Writing World (top right top sidebar).

Karen Cioffi
Multi-award Winning Author, Freelance/Ghostwriter, Editor, Marketer
Writer’s Digest Website of the Week, June 25, 2012