Jen's Writing Journey

[digg=http://digg.com/educational/Essential_Links_for_Writers]We’re halfway through the month already. How have you done with achieving your writing goals so far?

The Business of Writing

Where Have All the Bookstores Gone?
Obviously, you must sing this title to the tune of Paula Cole’s Where Have All the Cowboys Gone. No? That’s just me? Anyway, Sue Lick gives some insight into the death of the independent bookstore. It is sad to lose these connections to books and writers.

5 Lies Writers Believe about Editors
Jeremiah Tolbert shatters some myths, and provides some amusing examples to help writers better understand editors. Use this post to guide you when perfecting your craft and submitting your work. And, when all else fails, buy an editor a drink. You never know what will work.

Copyright and Consumer Digital Rights, Part 2
At Dear Author, we get an interesting survey of court cases that affect our ability as writers to own our words and our ability as citizens to access those words freely. If you missed part 1, read it here.

Why a Pre-publication Web Presence Is Important
A writer can’t go anywhere on the web without some discussion of platform, it seems. And Christina Katz would remind us that platform is not just web presence. But web presence is an important component, and Yen, who works in publicity at a publishing house, provides the reasons to get your web presence going sooner rather than later.

Kiss of Death: Quitting the Day Job
Wendy Lawton of the Books & Such Literary Agency discusses the potential pitfalls of quitting your day job.

Is Your Day Job Good for Your Writing?
Another perspective on the issue of keeping your day job.

I’m torn on the whole day job issue. The Keep It and Ditch It camps make good arguments. What do you think?

Fiction

Critique Partners
As writers, we all reach the point where we need someone else’s opinion. We can ask our friends to read our works and give their feedback, but there is no substitute for the opinions of another writer. The writer can not only point out flaws, he or she can also suggest specific ideas to help fix the flaws. Jill James describes the relationship and what makes it work. For more on critique partners, also read this post describing J.R. Ward’s and Jessica Anderson’s critique relationship. Finally, budding romance writers can find critique partners on the Harlequin website’s writers forums.

Write Your @ss Off Day

What are you doing tomorrow? You could spend the entire day focusing on your writing. The New York Writers Coalition has dubbed May 16 as their Write-a-Thon. They are offering events and workshops to help writers connect and perfect their craft. This blog post offer ways to participate in the Write-a-Thon without going to New York.

Freelancing

30 Days to Become a Freelancer?
This post leads you from 0 to business in one month. It is structured such that you can perform a short task each day around your day job.

How Much Are Examiner.com Authors Really Earning?
This post from Writers Weekly is included on honor of Writers Worth Day. It is so easy to go for easy writing gigs that don’t pay well but offer the option of earning more in the future or great exposure. But, is it really worth it?

An Interview with Successful Freelancer and Author Kelly James-Enger
This interview tackles the tough questions of freelancing, from when it’s okay to take a low-paying gig to how much haranguing an editor will stand for when you just want to know if you can move the idea to another venue.

General Writing Tips

A Twisty Little Story from Sandra…
This post from Chip MacGregor’s blog highlights the importance of craft in writing. Anyone can write–anyone can slap words on a page. And some of them might even have enough natural talent that it works pretty well. But those who work at learning how to write, how to query, how to work with an agent and publisher have the best chances for success.

Back to the Drawing Board
Agent Rachelle Gardner discusses the importance of rewriting. It can be frustrating to rewrite or to begin again from scratch, but sometimes that is just what you need to do.

• Writing Roundup, July 10 I hope you are all having as productive a month as you would like it to be. This seems like such a good time to take a breather and go light on the writing projects. Not me, I always seem to have big deadlines in the summer. Maybe next year,......
• Build Your Online Press Kit Do you have a press kit? I didn't until recently, even though, as a working journalist, I know how essential an online press kit is to the media. So, I pulled mine together and posted it today. It is a work in progress, and I intend to continue adding more......
• Guest Post: Working from Home? Well, Get to Work! by Pamela Hilliard Owens Today I welcome professional writer Pamela Hilliard Owens. Pamela is sharing her advice on one of the hardest things about freelancing: making sure your work-at-home lifestyle actually includes a bit of work. Working from Home? Well, Get to Work! As I write this today, it has been snowing all night......
• Writing Roundup, October 9 Here is a handy table of contents that will help you quickly reach the topic of your choice. Let me know if you like it this way. The Business of Writing Craft Fiction Freelancing Platform Special Section: The FTC Rules The Business of Writing Letting the Market Speak The Waxman......
• Writing Roundup, Aug. 14 So many great resources, so little time. Thus, I avoid preamble and move directly into this week's links. The Business of Writing 5 Reasons Pitches Can Be Detrimental Rather Than Helpful Jane Friedman, who took pitches at the Willamette Writers Conference, offers a little advice to writers making pitches: Don't......

• Career Tip - How to Write For a Living Learning how to write for a living can be tough, especially if you are new to the field. The demands of living expenses, social expectations...
• Unique SEO Content You are probably already aware of how important link building is, and how important it can be to select the right meta tags, and to...
• Corporate Blogging Made Easy One of the best ways for a company to reach out to their customers and build a strong brand is corporate blogging. However, there are...
• 23 Ways You Can Easily Start a Home Business 1. Sign up as a rep with a direct sales or network marketing company. 2. Start catering for events and parties. 3. Start promoting affiliate...
• Tips for Writing Your Blog Whether you are blogging for business applications, or for personal growth, the process of writing daily is a rewarding activity in many ways. The individual...