Dana Sitar's Blog, page 13

Repurpose Your Writing: A Matter of Perspective

by Adrienne Erin (@adrienneerin)

Writing is an art form and should be preserved as a unique and creative outlet for expression. No matter its function, the best way to maintain your passion for and the quality of your writing is to write on new, fresh ideas.

Yet, you’re often plagued with the task of writing a topic over and over again. Let’s face it: It’s so repetitive you can feel like you have déjà vu. Ultimately, it can stifle your creativity. No writer wants to rehash the same topic day af...

Join Us at Freelance Writers Academy to Start Earning What You Deserve

Tomorrow the doors are opening on a new membership site for freelance writers, and I’m proud to be a part of it!

Valerie Bordeau at Freelance Writers Academy has invited me, plus Sophie Lizard at Be a Freelance Blogger, professional writer and editor Kelly Boyer Sagert, and Robert Jennings at The Freelance Rider to combine our varied expertise to develop an exclusive community that extends FWA’s mission to help you earn what you truly deserve.

We’ve got tons of exciting benefits and exclusive o...

On Writing This Week: 10 Ways to Fake a Professional Edit + more

Here’s some stuff we loved on the internet this week:
10 Ways to Fake a Professional Edit

by Joanna at The Creative Penn (@thecreativepenn)

Your own mind can Jedi-mind-trick you. This post is not the excuse [to skip editing] you’re looking for.

But if you like getting your hands dirty . . .

Your book has to meet readers’ expectations, both in broader developmental issues like story and content, and in the smaller details. And there are steps you can take to get your manuscript into the best shape...

Forget the Finish Line, Enjoy the Publishing Process

by Robert Lee Brewer (@robertleebrewer)

After editing Writer’s Market for more than a decade, I have a pretty good idea of how publishing works on a cerebral level. But I learned it on a more intimate level while going through the process of publishing my first full-length poetry collection, Solving the World’s Problems, this year with Press 53.

The main takeaway is there’s no such thing as a finish line.

Manuscript Accepted Means I’m Done, Right?

When Tom Lombardo of Press 53 accepted my manuscr...

9 Free Resources to Motivate You to Write When You Don’t Think You Can

From Dana: I’m away from my RSS reader this week (back on the road!!), so instead of a round-up, here’s a list of super-useful resources for writers I’ve been wanting to share for a while.

1. Caution: May Be Habit-Forming

I’m a staunch advocate of writing daily. Of course, where there’s a mindset of doing something creative every day, there’s another saying wait for the muse. But I’ve yet to run into a successful artist or writer who practiced the latter, waiting for the right moment to write....

5 Beginner Tips for Building an Engaged Email List

Email marketing is a trendy, but truly important topic right now, and it’s easy to understand why. When you have a loyal email list of people who love your work, trust you as a person, and want to support you; your chances for finding success skyrocket.

Many people choose not to build an email list because they don’t know how, or they feel overwhelmed, but building an email list isn’t as challenging or time-consuming as it sounds.

Why Building an Email List is So Important

When people opt-in to...

Last Chance to Join Our Free Writers Group!

I loathe the idea of putting stuff out into the world to sit on your virtual bookshelves or at the back of your mind, but never really make adifference in your life.

Misses the point, you know?

So shortly after I launchedA Writer’s Bucket List, I also launched A Writer’s Bucket List Action Team,a place where writers can gather to swap ideas, ask questions, and share inspiration for the writing life. A bucket list is an easy thing to write and dream about — but it’s no good sitting dusty on a sh...

On Writing This Week: How to Write Your Way to the Top of Your Industry + more

Here’s what we loved on the internet this week:

It’s Column Contest Time Again!

at McSweeney’s Internet Tendency

We are looking for material that is engaging and interesting, in a “we know it when we see it” way. It would probably be a mistake to look at our current columns and try to replicate them. We love those columns, but they came about by authors simply following their own paths. Engage the subject matter you’re interested in, in the way you find most compelling. Our site is primarily kno...

How to Overcome the Beliefs Keeping You from Your Writing Goals

by Francesca Nicasio (@francescaSN)

New writers often get stuck not because of external factors beyond your control, but because of the stories you repeatedly tell yourself to stay in your comfort zone. Lines like, “I’m not good enough” or “Other writers have it all figured out and I don’t” are commonplace in these situations and they can paralyze even the smartest and most talented writers.

Here are a few tips to help you recognize and overcome these limiting beliefs in yourself, and take your...

6 Blog Design Blunders That Make You Look Like an Amateur

We’ve all seen them — those blogs you land on and immediately have a visceral “ugh!” response.

They look cheesy. They look cheap. Everything about them screams: This blog is small potatoes.

It’s not just those obvious blogs with glittery flashing headlines and sidebars covered in ads. There are lots of ways bloggers throw off an amateur vibe with their blog design without even realizing it.

And what you don’t realize you’re doing could be costing you readers.

Looks Do Matter

In spite of the mantra...