What To Include In Your Freelance Writer Resume

Contributed by Amy Huges

If you’re a freelancer, you really should have an updated freelance writer resume with you at all times. But more than that, you really should be armed with a quality freelance writer resume at all times.

After all, it’s this resume that’s pretty much your lifeblood as a freelancer; it’s your workhorse, your foot through the next door. As you search for new gigs each week, the best way of getting one is via quality resume distribution.

So if you’re experiencing a bit of a lull in your freelance career, and if the jobs have dried up and no one wants to touch you, it could well be that it’s your freelance writer resume that’s letting you down. Take a look at it. Go on. You don’t need to be embarrassed, it’s just us.

Is it jumping out at your with its mediocrity? Is it making you want to cut it up into a million different pieces before throwing it out of window like a load of mediocre confetti onto some stranger?

You could solve your problem by paying an online service to write you up a resume. You could. OR you could take a look at our hints and tips on what to include in a freelance writer resume.

Include Your Work Experience

As a freelancer, you’ve probably got a lot of work experience under your belt. For this reason, you don’t have to include every job you’ve ever done. Just include the best ones, the ones where you excelled at, and the ones which are related to the work you’re now applying for.

Include Your Online Presence

Nowadays, more than ever, potential clients want to see some juicy online presence. They want to see that you’ve given the online world a shot - and you’re doing really well at it.

For this reason, we recommend including your website in your resume distribution, as well as any social media accounts. A tip though; don’t include social media accounts that will do no harm than good. You know, if you’ve got a twitter account where you interact with ‘the lads’ over football, cars and beer. This is a big no-no. If you have a professional twitter account, stick it on your freelance writer resume. If not, leave it out.

A website is huge eye-catcher because it says a lot about you as a freelancer. It says that you’ve taken the time to get yourself organized, and that you present yourself really well.

Include Samples!

A graphic designer can’t include samples in their resume because a resume is text only. Neither can an artist or a web designer include their samples. For them, life sucks.

For you, though, it’s great! Because a resume is text-based anyway, you can nicely fit in one or two short samples of your writing - no more than two - to give clients an idea of your style.

Include Any Side Specialties

Freelancers are often multi-talented individuals who have a few strings to their bow. If, for example, you’re a writer who is also pretty darn good at taking photographs, include it. I myself am a filmmaking graduate who now works as a writer, and I include this on my resume. You really do never know the opportunities that can arise! You’ve just got to sell yourself.

Include Your Education

People tend not to care all that much about education when it comes to working with freelances. They don’t really care about what grade you got in math and science back in 1999 when all that matters is whether you can write killer content for them.

But it’s still good etiquette to include your education and qualifications. In a freelance writer resume, you can include this stuff near the bottom. If you haven’t graduated from University, education on a freelance writer resume is honestly the least of your worries. But be savvy and include it anyway. (Just keep it brief).

Include References

Some people looking for jobs struggle to come up with referees. But you as a freelancer should be able to call upon lots of satisfied clients who can act as your references.

With this in mind, you can select two - maybe three - of your most regular and satisfied clients and stick them in your resume. Freelancers always include referees, so make sure you do too. If you don’t, it looks like you’ve not done any work for anyone.

Or you have, but you were rubbish.

About Author:

Amy Huges has been a professional ghost writer and content manager at http://www.resumewritingservice.biz/ for 5 years. She provides writing, editing and coaching services independently on various freelance platforms. Among her favorite activities there are browsing the web, social promotion of friend's and colleague's profiles and reading.





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Why Specialize as a Writer
The ABCs of Writing - Tips for New Writers
26 Reasons a Writer Should Blog

The No.1 Reason Visitors Will Like Your Website

Did you know it takes a visitor only 4 SECONDS to decide if s/he likes your website. And, do you know what the #1 criteria is for a favorable decision?

The DESIGN.

Imagine, it’s as easy as creating a website with the RIGHT design. And, if you’re wondering what the ‘right’ design is, it’s simplicity.

Everyone is in a rush today. On top of that, everyone is bombarded with information. So much so, that they don’t really have time to stop and read a long drawn-out landing page. People skim or browse sites. They want simple . . . quick.

If they decide they like your site, they’ll bookmark it to come back and check it out when they have a few minutes.  Or, maybe one of your article headlines will grab the visitor and motivate him to stay on your site to actually read the article there and then. This is the power of an effective design . . . and copy.

Getting Yeses to Your Call-to-Actions

Another valuable tidbit is that with a great web design, chances of conversion (someone clicking on your call-to-action) increases by forty percent!

Forty percent increase in conversion – that’s HUGE!

Why Have a Website in the First Place?

Okay, you might be wondering if you really need a website, let alone having a great design. Well, according to AgencyPlatform, “Google mentioned that they’re conducting around trillions of searches per year. As per media reports." (2) This translates to about around 2 trillion searches per year.

Not millions. Not billions. But, TRILLIONS of searches!

"This means that the search volume may be round about 200 billion on a monthly basis, which comes to round about 4 million searches per minute."

It's hard to wrap your brain around the sheer volume of these numbers.

But, it’s pretty simple to understand that if there are trillions of online searches, people are looking for what they want online. If you have anything to sell (including your books or writing services), you’ve got to be online . . .  you’ve got to have a website.

Now, don’t get anxious. Creating a website that has a great design is as simple as choosing the right theme.

So, if you’re in the process of getting a website up as the foundation of your online platform or you’ve been mulling it around for a bit, there couldn’t be a better time do get started. Or, maybe you have a site up, but it’s just not producing the results you want. Well, this is a great time to take your site up-a-notch.

The Reason.

A GREAT e-class over at WOW! Women on Writing:

Create Your WordPress Website Today
No code, no technical stuff, no fuss

This 5-day e-class will show you, step-by-step, how to create your own WordPress Website. There’s video instruction, one-on-one with the instructor, and lots and lots of information and guidance. Create it in ONE day or take the FIVE days!

Whether you’re an author, writer, or home business, you need an online platform and the website is the foundation of that platform.

I’m the instructor of the class and can honestly say you’ll learn lots from it. And, you’ll get your site up and running in no time.

So, again, if you’re in the market for a website or need to tweak yours, don’t procrastinate.  Register for Create Your WordPress Website Today!

References:
(1) http://www.e-intelligence.com.au/web-design.html
(2) http://www.agencyplatform.com/blog/googles-long-search-handle-conducts-trillions-of-searches-per-year/


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Ghostwriters and Freelance Writers – 2 Essential Warnings

I’m a working children’s ghostwriter and get a lot of queries asking about my writing service. Doing this for a number of years, I’ve come across different personalities, different requests, and a couple of ‘be careful’ moments.

The first tip is about your information and scammers.

One of the recent ‘watch it moments’ was from a woman who sounded very genuine. She had a great heart-tugging reason for wanting to have a picture book written.

I went through the process and sent her information on how I work. She agreed to use my services. BUT . . .

When I sent her an initial invoice through PayPal to get started, she told me she had a problem paying through PayPal. She went so far as to say she’d try her mother’s account.

I emailed back that if she still had a problem she could pay by check and regular mail.

She emailed back, very upbeat, that if I’d give her my banking information she’d transfer the money to me – it’d be super quick.

A light went off.

Why on earth would I give a complete stranger my banking information with all the identity theft and scams running rampant out there.

So, I politely explained that a check would be fine. I even gave her my PO Box address.

Well, I never heard back from her.

What would have happened if I didn’t think first and sent her my banking information?

It wouldn’t have been good.

The second tip is about your address.

A while ago, I got a query from a client who wanted me to read his manuscript and rewrite it. He didn’t have email and asked if he could mail it to me.

At the time, I didn’t have a PO Box, so I gave him my home address.

He mailed me the manuscript and when I read it, I quickly realized this guy was crazy and according to him, he was heading to prison. I politely explained that because of my work load I couldn’t take on his project.

He called me for a couple of months, all times of day and night. And, he had my address.

Fortunately, circumstances intervened and I ended up moving. I also got a different phone number. But, it was a little scary for a while.

These are two warnings to all you freelance writers and ghostwriters out there:

1. Be very careful of the information you divulge to strangers.
2. If you don’t already have a PO Box to use for queries and clients, get one today.

Remember, better safe than sorry.

MORE ON WRITING AND MARKETING

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What it Takes to Get Started as a Freelance Writer – Top 10 List

Is Your Website Really Yours?

I've written about the importance of having a paid website. 

What this means is you buy the website for so much per month or year. It's like buying a condominium. You own the house or apartment, but the grounds and outer structure is maintained by the condominium.

It's the perfect situation. And, there's great customer service. And, you can make the site as unique as you like.

Some of the benefits.

You can do whatever you like to your website. You can:

- Use whatever content management system you want.
- Sell whatever you like.
- Talk about whatever you like.
- Take advantage of lots of pages.
- Take advantage of lots of themes.
- Take advantage of great SEO plugins
- Have a media file with optimization options.
- And, lots, lots more.

So, it's easy to see why you do need to buy website hosting.

Okay, it's June 1st and the Memorial Day Weekend special is over. But, you can still get great hosting for only $3.95 per month. Still a great deal!

And, using a service like Bluehost, you can have multiple websites under ONE account. I have about 8 sites up and will be creating two more very soon - one for my son-in-law and one for my husband. At NO extra cost, aside from the domain name.

I have Bluehost for all my WordPress sites and I love it, so much so I'm an affiliate.

I don't promote stuff like this often, but the Memorial Day sale was just too good to keep it a secret.

If you're in the market for a website or want to upgrade from a free one, check it out today.



ADDED BONUS:

If you use my link above, if you like, I’ll send you a video on getting your site up and running. It’s part of my Get Your Website Created Today e-class and it’s yours free. Once you sign up through my link, send me an email (kcioffiventrice ---at ---gmail) and I’ll get that video off to you.

Get Started Today: CLICK HERE!

Tips on Polishing your Novel

Reach for the moon and you might catch a star

 

You've finished your book. All the major edits and rewrites are done. Now it's time to polish. Polishing includes the obvious edits, including making sure the story elements are present, verbs are active, every chapter moves the story forward, etc., as in the Fiction Short List put together from the collection I've made over time for self-editing, which appeared in my December 28, 2015 WOTM post. 

Fiction Short List:

Does the beginning draw you in? Or could the story be started at a different point?

Does the main character appear soon enough? Is there enough dialogue in the beginning?

Does the story show and not tell?

Is there a beginning, middle and end? Can you form a circle from beginning to end?

Do the scenes flow and advance the plot?

Does each character have an arc?

Does your main character have a goal?

Does your story have conflict?
Is your story predictable?
Did you explain everything well?

Does the main character grow and change by the end?

Would a different point of view, such as first person as opposed to third person, make the story more interesting?

Are there any shifts in point of view?

Does the dialogue sound natural?

Are there any description "dumps" where pieces of the information could be spread out, ever so briefly? Does the story come to a satisfying conclusion?

Are you finished? Not quite. Now it's time to polish. Check to see if you've covered these technicalities, which I've collected since recently finishing my mystery novel for 8-12 year olds.

Edit each Item One at a Time

1. Each chapter beginning establishes "place" and each chapter ending entices your reader to find out what happens next.

2. Check past drafts to add any spicy details that were inadvertently edited out, such as brief descriptive phrases and personal thoughts of your main character.

3. Make sure you've covered the story elements, such as: Concept, Plot, Characterization, Voice, and Structure; beginning, middle and end, in a nutshell, the basics.

4. Are there are any "dead spots" where the story doesn't move forward? Delete them.

5. Change any "telling" sentences to "show" what your character is doing and thinking.

6. Be specific. Check for anything vague or general and change to specific.

7. Do a drama check. Heighten the drama wherever you can.

Try this simple outline for each scene from Elaine Marie Alphin's book, Creating Characters Kids will Love:

• Situation
• Dialogue
• Main character's thoughts and feelings
• Action
• Show moves or gestures and facial expressions to show feelings

I prop Alphin's book in front of me when I'm creating a scene. Her example on page nine is especially helpful, as this excerpt shows:

His sneakers were braced against the roof's shingles. Slowly, Benjy took one hand off the sill and gripped a lower shingle instead. Then he took a deep breath, told himself very firmly not to be afraid, and let go of the sill with his other hand . . . Why couldn't he have been a few inches taller? Benjy cursed his height silently. Even just a couple of inches would have meant his toes might have been able to feel the bench beneath him. But wishing wouldn't make him grow.

6. Scrutinize every word. For example: Make sure you've cut out unnecessary prepositional phrases, haven't overused adjectives as too many adjectives weaken nouns, haven't relied on unnecessary words such as these words listed by author Margot Finke on her website: seemed; thought; started; might; she said; he saw; got and get. Use fresh figurative language; no clichés. Use clear, concise language that paints a picture. One editor described this in a way that you won't easily forget: "Write it plain then make it fancy."

7. Make sure every scene builds toward an explosive climax and satisfying ending.

8. Collect important information in one place to help write your letter to the publisher and market your book:

• The story problem 
•  The main character's special need or flaw
• The theme: Does your theme clearly stand out (without stating it)? My favorite example is Bruce Coville's, The Skull of Truth. Charlie Eggleston has a not-so-slight problem telling the truth. On page three "a familiar voice sneered, 'Well, look here--it's Charlie Eggleston, king of the liars.'" Telling the truth carries throughout the book; the last line finishes the theme off with, "And that was the absolute truth." Even though 'truth' is brought out in many not-so subtle ways--it appears even in the title--the book is such fun to read, the message of 'telling the truth' is integral to the story and never stated.
• The encapsulation of your story in as few words as possible.
• The synopsis: Tell someone or say out loud what your book is about--not always easy for someone who expresses herself/himself on the page.
• The book jacket blurb.
• The list of characters, brief descriptions, their goals and their own character arc.
• The list of chapter titles and page numbers.

9. Tie up loose ends: Jot down each part of the action and goal of each character and make sure you've followed through.

10. Last but Most Important: Your first sentence and first chapter are the most important part of your book. Make sure they contain what is necessary to interest an editor and your reader. Somewhere in my research I read that Stephen King has been known to spend a year on the first chapter. That's how important it is to get it right. There are very specific points editors look for that must be covered.

Here are samples from two books I use to help me get the correct information in the first sentence, first paragraph and first chapter. In the opening, a few sparse words establish "place," establish a bond with the main character and tell you what the entire book is about.

The Green Ghost by Marion Dane Bauer.

1938

"Papa! Look! isn't it beautiful?" Lillian breathed the words, long and slow. In the cold air, her breath clouded the store window. She wiped it clear again with a corner of her scarf.

The cloak was beautiful. It was dark green wool . . . All that green made Lillian think of a Christmas tree.

We don't know it yet, but we've met our ghost--she is the main character who came from an earlier time, 1938. In Chapter two we meet Kaye who is riding with her parents to her grandmother's house for Christmas in a snow storm. While reading the book I thought Kaye was the main character. Later when I analyzed the story I realized that though most of the book was about Kaye, Lillian was the main character. She became the green ghost wearing the green cloak, which was made clear in the above first two paragraphs but was so subtle I didn't catch it until I thought about it.

When My Name was Keoko by Linda Sue Park

1. Sun-hee (1940)

"It's only a rumor," Abuji said as I cleared the table. "They'll never carry it out."

In one amazing first sentence we learn what the book is about. The chapter goes on to explain the details about the rumor and how it is planned to be carried out. The theme is established on page two:

"Nobody ever told me anything. I always had to findout for myself. But at least I was good at it. You had to do two opposite things: be quiet and ask questions. And you had to know when to be quiet and who to ask."

The next paragraph explains the details, and so on.

A valuable resource for editing and polishing your ms is The Frugal Editor by Carolyn Howard-Johnson and then when you're ready to promote your book, be sure and follow-up with Howard-Johnson's, The Frugal Book Promotor.

Your comments about this post will be appreciated: Please let me know what I've left out. As you might guess, I'm in the process of polishing my mystery story for 8-12 year olds. If you're like me, you want to make sure your masterpiece is the best it can be. The only way to do that is to check and re-check your draft and know that your editing is probably not done when it gets in the hands of an editor. But never fear, your hard work will be worth it. Your editor and publisher will help you spin your magic and place your book into the waiting hands of your readers.

Photo courtesy of: http://absfreepic.com/free-photos/sky.html/

Linda Wilson, a former elementary teacher and ICL graduate, has published over 100 articles for adults and children, and six short stories for children. Recently, she completed Joyce Sweeney's online fiction courses, picture book course and mystery and suspense course. She is currently working on several projects for children. Follow Linda on Facebook.

 

Writing - Ways to Cultivate Solitude

Contributed by Irene S. Roth

Silence and solitude are the two spiritual disciplines that seem to be most lacking in our digital world. It is ironic that what our soul longs for is silence and solitude, but instead we fill our lives with noise and activity to pack the void.

And writers especially need some quiet time to regroup and to rest. It can be hard to rest when we are always plugged in. So, we need to cultivate times when we are resting and alone doing something that we truly enjoy that we know will renew us.

The silence that is required for solitude has gotten a bad rap. Most of us hate silence. But it is in the silence that we can find renewal and fulfillment, and we could be ready to face whatever else we have to face every day.

Silence is about letting go of our inner distractions and is probably the most challenging and least experienced spiritual discipline among most of us today. Studies show the average person today can only bear about fifteen seconds of silence. Each of us needs to make the opportunity to be alone and silent to find some space in the day to reflect, and to listen to our inner voice within us.

Solitude is about letting go of your outer distractions. It is in solitude that we nourish our relationship with ourselves.

Here’s some practical ways to start cultivating these disciplines in your life:

•    Turn off the radio when you are driving.
•    Keep the television off when you’re not watching it.
•    Practice listening more to others and speaking less yourself.
•    Resist the urge to text and post every experience. Hold the experience to yourself for a while.
•    Don’t use your phone as an alarm clock – make a “no phones go to bed with me” rule.
•    Listen for the sounds of nature whenever you can.
•    Try to keep one ear tuned to your inner voice throughout your noisy day.

So, go ahead and take time to find space to be alone and silent each day. Don’t let the digital world drown out the sound of your voice speaking to you. To really live life to the fullest we must not let the digital world distract us from being who we truly are.

We need to take control of our lives by setting clear boundaries. Embrace this one life that we were given by learning to say “no” more to your digital world and say “yes” to the importance of soul care for yourself and your family. And tomorrow, you will probably do your best writing too. It is a win-win for everyone.

To learn more about cultivating solitude, double click on this link: Healthy Writer

Irene S. Roth, MA writes for teens, tweens, and kids about self-empowerment. She is the author of over thirty-five books and over five hundred online articles. She also writes articles for kids, tweens and teens and her articles have appeared in Encounter, Pockets, Guardian Angel Kids Ezine, and Stories for Children Magazine and Online. She also has four hundred and sixty published book reviews both online and in print.

More ABCs for New Writers; P - T

P is for polishing.

Proofreading would work here, but that goes without saying. Polishing is just what it implies - you are making your piece shine.

Take a step away from your writing for a couple of hours or more. When you go back to it you will see it from a different angle and polish the smudges. You will rearrange a sentence that didn't feel right. A fresh ending will pop into your head. Do this a few times before submitting your article or manuscript. 

Q is for query letter.

New writers will learn new words in the writing business. Query letter is one of them.

A query letter is written to an editor or agent to consider your idea for a book or magazine article you have written (or are writing). It is a sales pitch and should be written well. 

First and foremost, personalizing your query letter goes a long way. It's not about you. It's about them. Show you care by serving the needs of who you are writing for.  

Your query letter will provide a short summary of what your book or article is about. It should hook the editor or agent so they will want more. The summary of your book will ultimately make or break your chances of landing the agent.

R is for rejection.

It is discouraging to get a rejection letter when you have invested so much time on a piece.

Rejection is common to all writers.

I get discouraged easily but I have grown through handling the defeat from rejection letters. You either work through it or you give up.

Never give up!

Do you know the number of famous authors who were rejected? When I learned the author of The Help was rejected 60 times over the course of 3 1/2 years before her book became a best seller, I realized maybe it will be the next time for me.

S is for success.

You will be successful if you don't give up and commit to follow through with your writing goals. If you get off track (and we all do), just get back on.

It is so rewarding to receive a phone call or acceptance letter for your submission. The paycheck that follows is even more rewarding.

Keep going at whatever you love to write. Learn all you can. You will be successful but it will take time.

T is for target audience.

Once you have narrowed down what you like to write and what you are good at writing, it is time to figure out target audience is.

I really like this simple description of what a target audience is:

"One of the biggest mistakes ... is trying to appeal to everyone. Think about the game of darts: You have to aim in order to hit the board. (If you let your darts go without aiming them, you probably won’t be very popular.) If you hit the board, you score. And if your aim is very good and you hit the bull’s eye, even better!"

Some questions to ask yourself: 

• Who will be interested in what you write?
• Who will benefit?
• What age group will be reading your writing?
• What problem do you have the solution for?

There is plenty of online resources to help you further research and identify your target audience. 

Next month More ABCs for New Writers U - Z.

Image courtesy of Vlado at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

~~~


After raising and homeschooling her 8 children and teaching art classes for 10 years, Kathy has found time to pursue freelance writing. She enjoys writing magazine articles and more recently had her story, "One of a Kind", published in The Kids' Ark. You can find her passion to bring encouragement and hope to people of all ages at When It Hurts - http://kathleenmoulton.com