Archive | 3:00 pm

We All Begin As Beginners in the Writing Game

15 Apr

003I received an email from a new writing friend today.  She had found some of my articles about writing online, and she noticed that I offered to help any writer who needed it….so she wrote me for advice.  She lives in Serbia and her name is Milena.

Good morning to you all and Happy Tuesday. How rude of me to not start out with that greeting.  Now, back to the story.

So this young lady is a novice to the freelance game, and she didn’t know what to do to begin….and that is the topic we will discuss today.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“Learning is the beginning of wealth. Learning is the beginning of health. Learning is the beginning of spirituality. Searching and learning is where the miracle process all begins.”

Jim Rohn
THOUGHT OF THE DAY

I began as a freelance writer a little over three years ago.  I’ve come a long way, baby, but it is important for newcomers to realize that when an established writer begins their journey they are starting at square one just like everybody else.

When I quit my teaching job three years ago, I had no backup plan.  After a week of contemplation I decided I was going to follow my dream and my passion and become a writer.  I knew next to nothing about freelance writing, so that meant I had to learn on the fly.  I devoured all of the information I could about the writing business and then about two weeks later I declared myself to be a professional freelance writer.  Yes, it is all about perspective and believing in your abilities.

I learned early on that I needed to build a platform for my writing business. This meant starting a blog, and building a website, and it also meant I needed a body of work that would reflect my writing abilities.  Thus my marriage to HubPages began.

Just like everybody else, I had to prove that I “had game” in writing.  There are no shortcuts in this business, and there are no guarantees.  You work hard, you build upon successes, you learn from failures, and you always keep moving forward.

WRITER OF THE DAY

Because I firmly believe in supporting new writers, I want you to meet my new friend.  Her name is Milena and you can find her blog here.

CONTEST OF THE DAY

The Nano Fiction Prize is now taking submissions of 300 words or less through September 1st. I believe the entry fee is $15.  Check it out here.

WRITING TIP OF THE DAY

Learn patience!  Nothing in this business happens overnight. I am encouraged by that because I am a plodder when it comes to long-term goals.  I like having the goal in front of me. I like breaking down the task into manageable chunks that I can do daily.  I do not expect success today, but I know if I keep learning my craft that success will come.

PROMPT OF THE DAY

025

Yes, it is spring, and I’m thinking sunshine and warmth and gardening and all things outside.

UNTIL NEXT TIME

Thanks as always for the visit.  I hope you found something you could use.  For those curious, I am now working on the corrections fed to me by my editor Jaye.  If I had to guess I would say that “Resurrecting Tobias” will be ready for ebook publication by the end of May.  That’s one month later than I had planned but oh well.

Bill

“Helping writers to spread their wings and fly.”