Beth Greenslade's Blog, page 73

Avoidable Writing Mistakes

When it comes to writing, we know it pays to be professional. Whether we’re fiction writers or freelance writers, making sure we thoroughly check our work and weed out any errors is crucial.

It might be impossible to create every piece of writing perfectly every single time. However, some writing mistakes seem to crop up time and time again and, if we take a little more care and are a bit more aware of them, they could perhaps be easily avoided.

So what are some of the most common writing mistakes?

Choosing the incorrect word

Many words in the English language have double meanings or similar spellings or pronunciations but don’t mean the same thing. Sea and see, for example, or your and you’re, there and their or then and than. A spell-checker won’t flag these up as they are not incorrect words. If misused, however, they’ll leave your work looking unprofessional, so remain eagle-eyed for these when proofreading your work.

Errors in sentence construction

It’s very easy to make mistakes when constructing sentences. Often people start a comparison in a sentence and then fail to complete it, or write a fragment of a sentence instead of a whole one because a verb or subject must be included to correct it. An incorrectly placed comma can also make sentences clunky or, in the worst cases, cause them to have a different meaning altogether.

Mistakes around pronouns

Using pronouns as the subject or the object in a sentence also cause mistakes to be made. It is the person or thing performing an action within a sentence that is its subject, and the object is the person or thing who is being acted upon.

Punctuation errors

As well as spelling and grammar mistakes, people often leave punctuation errors in their texts that can make them seem a little sloppy. For example, adding unnecessary semicolons is a common mistake and adding commas for no reason is another. A semicolon should be used when two independent clauses are joined in the absence of a conjunction. A comma, however, is only necessary between independent clauses when you also use a conjunction such as and or but.

Of course, there are always instances, mainly when writing creatively that the standard grammar rules may be broken, even purposefully to create a particular effect. This might be acceptable but depends on the specific piece and its intended audience. At the end of the day, no writer is perfect, however by avoiding these common writing mistakes you can neaten up your prose and make your writing more professional and easier to read too.

Bethany Cadman -author of 'Doctor Vanilla's Sunflowers'

The post Avoidable Writing Mistakes appeared first on Writer's Life.org.

Is Going Freelance Worth The Risk?

There are lots of reasons why someone might think it is a great idea to become a freelance writer, but at the same time, they must accept that in doing so they are taking on a certain amount of risk. But is it worth it? Let’s weigh up the pros and cons.

Feast and Famine

Ah, the old feast and famine cycle of being a freelancer! Sometimes you are inundated with work, at other times you are twiddling your thumbs. With lots of work comes the pressure of juggling different assignments and meeting deadlines. Without it, you worry that you can’t pay your bills! It can be tough but making sure you try to plan as much as possible and make provisions to see you through the more sparse times will help you manage these much better.

Stress and Deadlines

As much as you might be able to try and plan your work, there are always going to be times where you are up against it and feeling the pressure. There is also the possibility of having your work returned for amendments which can lead to suddenly having less time than you thought.

Managing Your Finances

As well as good time management it is also essential to be good with money and numbers if you want to be a successful freelancer. Without being willing to do the ‘boring' stuff as well, you could soon find yourself in trouble. Managing finances, filling out tax returns and contingency planning are all part of the job.

Building a Client Base

Without a solid client base, you’ll end up going from job to job never feeling any security and continually worrying about work drying up. Building up a good client base and a solid reputation is so important. However, this takes time - so successful freelance writers need to be willing to put the work in.

No Holiday, Sick Pay, or Pension

Remember if you are ill you won’t get paid, and probably won’t get a lot of sympathy from clients if you miss deadlines due to sickness either. You don’t get paid holiday or a pension or any of the comfortable perks of working a ‘normal’ job. These are all things to take into consideration before going freelance full time.

So there you have it, being a freelance writer can bring you fantastic benefits and freedom and can be a great way to make a living as well. But in doing so, you must be prepared of highs and lows and times where it might feel like you’ve made a mistake. At the end of the day if you stay organized, plan for all eventualities and keep persevering it can be everything you want it to be and an extremely rewarding career too!

Bethany Cadman -author of 'Doctor Vanilla's Sunflowers'

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How To Choose A Name For Your Website

Every author has been told time and time again that having a great website is essential. A site can be a useful platform to promote your work, to test your writing, to gain new readers and loyal fans and to sell your books from too.

In short, having a website is imperative.

One of the most important decisions you can make when building your website is what you are going to call it. A strong domain name speaks volumes - and if you chose badly you are stuck with it forever, or will have to start from scratch once more.

So what do you need to consider when choosing a domain name?

Simplicity and memorability

One thing that’s very important to consider is how to make your website name one that’s easy to remember. Anything too complicated or convoluted and people will forget it, get it confused with something else or just spell it wrong and never be able to find it. So choose with care and try to keep it simple and straightforward if you can.

Choosing your own name

Many writers choose their name as their website name, and this is usually a safe option. It makes sense, it is self-promotional and will make it easy for fans of your work to find you. Of course, it is possible that your name will already be taken in which case you may have to add a number or a word onto it to make it unique. Choosing your name also gives you freedom to make your website about anything you want. You can adapt and change it depending on your interests in the future, so if your writing changes direction, then you won’t have to change your website just because of that.

A name that explains what it is

You might like to choose a domain name that reveals more about what kind of writer you are. For example, if you are a copywriter you could pick something like ‘www.copywritingexpert.com,’ or if you only write gothic novels, you could pick something like ‘www.thegothicwriter.com.’ This can be helpful regarding your website coming up in search results more readily. However, being this specific will make it difficult if, for example, you decided to start writing romance novels in the future.

A name that says something about you

You could also try to incorporate a bit of personality into your website name. Use a nickname or a play on words, or even a different language if applicable. This can be a way of creating a unique name that shows you are smart and witty. However, these kinds of domain names may be more difficult to remember.

Finding the perfect domain name for your website is well worth taking some time over. Do some research to see what your competitors have used, take time to see what popular sites your target audience might find interesting and then go from there. You can call your website absolutely anything, but once you’ve decided you’re stuck with it, so make sure it’s a good one!

Bethany Cadman -author of 'Doctor Vanilla's Sunflowers'

The post appeared first on Writer's Life.org.

Make More Money As A Freelance Writer

Let’s face it; no freelance writer is going to say no to the opportunity to earn more money. Sometimes it can be tough to find well-paid gigs and to get enough work to keep your head above water.

So what are the things freelancers can do to make more money? Follow these helpful tips.

Understand your income

When it comes to managing your money, you’ve got to be savvy. What salary are you already bringing in? Which gigs are ongoing and stable? Which are one-offs?

It’s also important to evaluate your clients, be clear about which ones are more valuable to you. Which give you regular work, which provide you assignments you enjoy and can complete more efficiently? What is the word count to pay ratio like?

Once you have more clarity about which clients are your biggest earners and which aren’t, you can start to make room for better clients that will earn you more.

Understand your time

It’s important to be realistic about how much time you have to work on each project and to understand how long it takes you to write. Remember it’s not just the word count you need to pay attention to. Some pieces will require more research or referencing or simply take more brain power because you are not familiar with the subject matter. Work out how much time you have and then you can figure out which projects to take on.

Set financial goals

Once you know how much you aspire to earn you can set goals to work towards that figure. Having an amount in mind will keep you clear and focused, and as you start to earn more and more you’ll feel more inspired to keep going and begin to realize your own worth.

Raise your rates

Of course, you can’t earn more money unless you raise your rates. It’s important to be able to assess your own skill set and experience and don’t undercut yourself. If you sell yourself short you are not only doing yourself a disservice but also clients will be suspicious of those offering their services for very low amounts and you may actually lose jobs because you seem too cheap!

Build your reputation

Remember, good feedback and testimonials are invaluable. So make sure you always ask happy clients for reviews that you can use on your website or profile. Building up a reputation as a skilled writer who meets deadlines, is communicative and easy to work with will help you win bigger and better clients.

Stop taking on low paid projects

At the end of the day, there are always going to be businesses out there that think they can take advantage of freelance writers and offer them a pittance for the work they do. By avoiding these low-paid jobs we can all force businesses to offer a decent wage in return for work, and earn more money in the process too.

If you want to make more money as a freelance writer you need to get organized and put the work in. Breaking down your goals into clear, actionable steps will help you clarify what you need to do to achieve them. Remember, this doesn’t happen overnight. Be patient, work hard, believe in yourself and you will make the money you deserve.

Bethany Cadman -author of 'Doctor Vanilla's Sunflowers'

The post Make More Money As A Freelance Writer appeared first on Writer's Life.org.

What Do Writers Really Want?

When people think of writers, they may imagine lonely, gruff shadows of men who sit in dark corners until the wee small hours grafting away at their secret masterpieces. Or perhaps they think of them as fools and daydreamers who clutch onto impossible goals with very little hope of achieving them. Or maybe they think of seekers of fortune, of fame-hungry egomaniacs who are chasing immortality.

However, for the most part, these ideas are far-fetched and far from reality too. Writers may be inspired to write for a myriad of different reasons, but when it comes to the core of it, most of us want the same things. Not necessarily to write bestsellers, not necessarily to get rich from writing, but instead, just what any professional wants. Unfortunately, in the writing game it's often harder to get it.

So what do writer's really want?

To be appreciated.

Writers work extremely hard; whether they fit their writing in around their day job or write full time, it’s a high-pressure, high-risk job that demands concentration and energy. Writers want to be appreciated for the work they do and the effort they put into their writing. Putting one’s heart and soul into something only to be slated or ignored a pretty tough response, and rarely happens in other lines of work.

To be successful in their own right.

All writers want to be successful. Of course they do! But writing success is so personal. For one person it might be selling a thousand copies of their novel, for another, it might be selling just one. Writers should be able to define their personal success and celebrate it just as joyfully when they reach their goals - whatever they may be.

To be treated with respect.

Isn’t it time writers were treated with a little more respect? The writing game is an extremely tough one, and not only are we scoffed at when we reveal what we do, but also ignored by agents and publishers, and sometimes given unfair, downright cruel reviews. That’s not me being bitter; it’s just a fact!

To feel they have contributed.

Writers want to feel as though their work is worth something, that they have added value to the world through their writing. Without feeling as though we are contributing, it’s hard to feel satisfied or valued as a writer at all.

To learn and grow creatively.

We all want to get better and want our efforts to be rewarded. In other professions, it’s through promotions and pay rises. For writers, knowing that we have grown as artists, that we are learning and improving all the time - that’s exceptionally motivating indeed.

To love what they do.

Lastly, writers want to love what they do. Writing should ultimately be a positive experience, no matter what we are writing about, and if we don’t love what we do, even though it’s tiring, emotionally challenging and harsh at times, then we must ask ourselves whether what we really want is to write at all.

Bethany Cadman -author of 'Doctor Vanilla's Sunflowers'

The post What Do Writers Really Want? appeared first on Writer's Life.org.

How To Make Your Blog Work For You

A writing blog can feel like a major slog. If all you want to do is write books, then the idea of starting up a blog may be rather abhorrent. Most writers are already time-poor and having to dedicate some of our precious writing time to keep up something that doesn’t satisfy us can be very demotivating indeed.

However a writing blog can be useful, and even for the most resistant writers, there are ways to make having one more enjoyable and valuable too.

So how can you make your writing blog work for you?

Be creative

Your blog can be about anything. That’s right, ANYTHING. You don’t have to go down a particular route or stick to one specific format. In fact, don’t. Make your blog unique and interesting, find a niche, be weird and experimental. Use your blog as an opportunity to truly exercise your creative self, and you might come away feeling inspired.

Have fun

Blog writing is only a drag if you make it so. If you are going to be negative about it, don’t do it. There are other ways to market your book that will be far less painful. Do them instead. You can make blog writing an enjoyable experience. Think about how to set yourself challenges, look at it as an exercise in writing and editing, use it to find new readers and connect with them. Keep your blog light, fresh and fun, and this will effortlessly shine through.

Write about what you love

Stay true to yourself, use your distinctive voice, be descriptive, interested and passionate about your blog topics. If you write about what you have a genuine enthusiasm for this will come through, and it will be so much easier to engage your readers and find new ones too.

Don’t worry about the numbers

Many authors write blogs with only one purpose, to try and sell more books. While there is nothing wrong with this, if you get too bogged down in the numbers, or whether or not it is affecting your book sales your blog is going to become both a chore and a bore. That’s not to say you shouldn’t put effort into finding new readers, but remember, creating a popular blog takes time, so focus your energy on writing excellent blog posts instead.

Get feedback

Use your blog to get invaluable feedback on your new writing or ideas for stories and new projects. Your readers are an excellent resource for this. Ask them questions, get feedback and you’ll be able to use this to shape your writing into something that people want to read.

Writing a blog can aid your creative writing in so many ways. So instead of dragging your heels, embrace blog writing and learn how to make it work for you!

Bethany Cadman -author of 'Doctor Vanilla's Sunflowers'

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Writing Advice – Should You Take It Or Leave It?

When it comes to writing, there are thousands of pieces of advice out there. While on the one hand, this is fantastic, it can also get a little bit confusing.

Whether you believe writing talent is something you are born with or something you can acquire, no writer can deny that there is room for them to learn and grow. But trying to sift through the vast jumble of writing rules and lessons to learn, only then to be told something contradictory or that there ‘are no rules’ in the next piece of advice we come across can understandably leave many writers tearing their hair out.

So should we dismiss writing advice altogether? Or is there a way to sift through it all and only find the good, stuff, the advice that really works?

Here are some things to try:

Do what works for you

Every writer has to make their own choices when it comes to writing advice. If something seems entirely unnatural to you or doesn’t work for your writing it’s OK to reject it. Not every piece of advice out there is going to fit into your unique creative mold, and you shouldn’t try to force it otherwise you run the risk of ruining what you had and feeling as though you haven’t stayed true to yourself at the same time.

Don’t get confused

When trying to learn more about the writing craft, it can be so easy to get confused with all the different pieces of writing advice out there. However, it’s important not to panic or get confused and try to employ two contradicting pieces of advice in your work at once. When reading advice, always take a moment to think about whether it truly inspires you, and if so only then work out how you can apply it to your writing. The advice should bend and mold around you and your work, not the other way around.

Remember, art is subjective

Not everyone will like the way you write. Art is subjective, and as a by-product of that, writing advice becomes subjective too. If you don’t like or disagree with a piece of writing advice that’s OK - someone else may find it incredibly useful, and that’s OK too. All parts of writing are unique, and that the subjectivity of human perception is what makes writing so rich, varied and exciting.

In writing, continual improvement is essential, but there are no hard and fast rules. Think of pieces of writing advice as guidelines and be prepared to abandon what doesn’t work for you. You’ll find some great parts that genuinely resonate with you and you know you can work into your writing. Good writing is not achieved by being original, creative, honest and smart, not by sticking to a specific set of objectives, and whether you decide to follow writing advice or not, that’s well worth remembering.

Bethany Cadman -author of 'Doctor Vanilla's Sunflowers'

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How To Shock Your Readers

No one likes to read a boring story, and a story that doesn’t shock your readers, and reveals things they don’t expect, runs the risk of being just that.

Not every story needs to be jam-packed with twists and turns at every corner. However, an action-packed story that leaves your readers feeling exhilarated, and on the edge of their seats will make them hungry to know what happens next and keep them turning those pages.

So how can you shock your readers, create tension in your story and make sure your plot packs are a real punch?

Here are some helpful tips:

Raise the stakes

Your protagonist needs to be seeking something, and the story is their journey trying to get there. To create tension and suspense, you need to raise the stakes. What are they willing to risk or lose to get what they want? What happens if they don’t succeed? Make your story a race against time, make your character willing to risk losing everything - there are so many ways to raise the stakes and doing so will keep your reader hooked.

Kill someone

As a writer, you have the power over who lives and who dies in your stories. The ultimate way to shock your readers is to kill off a character that they would never expect to die. Be brave in your choice, don’t make it someone minor that no one cares about, but someone central and who they have invested their emotions into instead.

Make your characters start to doubt themselves

Bringing doubt into a character's mind is a great way to keep readers guessing. If a character starts to question themselves, it can make readers begin to question them too. Suddenly the world they reside in is a very different place, and nothing is as it once seemed.

Add a classic plot twist

Of course, nothing works better to shock your readers than a classic plot twist! They think they know what’s going to happen next and then suddenly - Bam! Something is revealed or occurs that they could never have guessed, and it leaves them reeling. Plots twists usually work better towards the end of the novel, giving you time to tie up all the loose ends and bring the story to a satisfying conclusion.

Whichever way you decide to shock your readers it is important to remember that there are right ways and wrong ways to do so. Everything you include in your novel should advance the plot, contribute to the theme and be plausible within the confines of your story and the world you have created.

Shocking your reader can create excitement, suspense, and tension - all of which will delight your readers, so make sure you remember to add some elements of surprise in your writing and use the tips above to help you.

Bethany Cadman -author of 'Doctor Vanilla's Sunflowers'

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How To Draw Inspiration From Other Writers

When it comes to finding inspiration for our writing, there is no better place to look than to our contemporaries. There is no more magnificent tool available to writers than books, and there is more to be learned by reading than any classes, qualifications or courses out there.

Many writers struggle, however, when it comes to drawing inspiration from other writers. They are so worried about being accused of stealing another writers idea, and so concerned with writing a story that is utterly unique that they avoid using the texts that they love and cherish to aid them.

While stealing other writers stories and copying their work is not acceptable, writers should in fact harness all they can from other writers work. There is no harm in being influenced by another writer, by admiring their ideas and molding them to create something new. Doing so isn’t cheating, it’s merely embracing and celebrating other writers work, finding out what works and doesn't, and creating something unique and personal from what you have learned.

So how can you draw inspiration from other writers work?

Look at their themes and ideas, not their words.

Lifting words from another authors book and putting them in your own is not cool. However, being inspired by their themes and ideas is fine. When you read a great book, focus on what you loved about it, note down the things that made it work so well and then follow the same patterns in your own. There is lots you can acquire from another author, and many lessons to learn. Why are their characters so great? How did they manage their pacing throughout the book? What kind of details made you able to picture their world? These are the things to take notice of and to try to replicate when you sit down to write yourself.

Read widely in your genre.

The more widely you read in the genre you are writing in, the less likely you are to just straight copy another writers idea. Devour as many books as you can and allow yourself to absorb all of the stories you read. Doing so will help guide you towards what works and what doesn’t and help you navigate your path, and use what you have learned to help create your own unique work.

Learn from the rule breakers

While other writers can teach you about the rules of a genre, they can also inspire you to be brave, to experiment and be daring with your writing. Read the work of writers who didn’t conform, who really tried to do something entirely different and bring something fresh to the table. Absorb their creative energy, their daring and go forth and do the same!

Look at their success stories.

It’s not just about being inspired by other writers, writing, but also their journeys. Most writers know how difficult it is to get noticed, to get published, to be successful. So looking to those writers that have made it, and the obstacles and rejections they overcame to get there, can be an inspiration to us all.

Bethany Cadman -author of 'Doctor Vanilla's Sunflowers'

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The Best Practice Exercises To Improve Your Writing

When it comes to writing, practice makes perfect, and while it is all well and good to write as much as you can, it’s also well worth trying to learn as much as possible about the art of writing too.

Most writers are self-taught, and that’s brilliant, but for those who want to take their writing to the next level, to experiment or to learn about different writing techniques and methods, they need to sit down, read and learn, and then try them out for themselves.

Here are some of the best practice exercises to try and improve your writing:

Edit

A great way to improve your writing is by editing someone else’s work. It’s all too easy to get so caught up in our writing and not see the mistakes or the places where the prose could do with improvement. Editing other people’s work trains us to be able to spot these errors more easily, and when we return to our own pieces, we will be better able to weed out problems and inaccuracies.

Rewrite or extend a short story

Find a short story that you love. This could be anything from a classic fairy tale to one written by one of the greats. Think about how you could rewrite it from a different character’s perspective or in a different setting. Alternatively, you could write about what happens next, extend the story, while trying to emulate the style and tone of the original writer. This will help you to think about different points of view as well as learn about different writer’s voices and see whether or not you can emulate another writers style or if your unique writing voice is too strong.

Create new connections

We all need to give our creative selves a boost from time to time. Creating new connections can do just that and inspire us with new ideas for our work going forward. To do this write four headers on pieces of paper: People, places, things, and themes. They write five things underneath each header. For exmaple, grandma, Scotland, photographs, love. Tear up the paper and put all these in a hat and then pull out different mixes to create new connections and see what inspires you to expand.

Work out what works

While this exercise takes time, it can help a writer genuinely understand what works in a story. Take the top 3 bestselling books in your genre and read them. As you do make a timeline of the action, then examine the characters and how they develop and grow, then study the language the author uses, their descriptions and imagery and how they managed to build the world and people within them. Make as many notes as you can and then compare the three, pulling out any similarities. Doing this will help you get to the core of what makes a story successful and you’ll be able to apply your new found knowledge to your work.

Mind mapping and free writing

Sometimes the oldest techniques are the best. Freewriting, where you allow yourself to write whatever is on your mind with complete freedom can help you loosen your creative cogs and give you new ideas. Mind mapping where you start with a central concept or character and then add different layers of detail branching off from this can help you organize your thoughts and come up with new avenues that you may not have thought of otherwise.

So there you have it, the next time you feel as though your writing could do with a bit of a boost, or you are curious to learn something new, give these writing exercises a go and see if they can help to make your writing better, easier and more interesting too.

Bethany Cadman -author of 'Doctor Vanilla's Sunflowers'

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