How to Turn Your Writing Dreams into Spending Money, Part II by Jim Bessey

In my first installment here, we talked about having a dream. It was a nice little dream, of you sitting on your couch in your jammies, tapping away on the keyboard and getting paid to do it.

I promised there was a way for you to achieve that dream, but I warned you that there was some work involved. You can find well-paid writing jobs on the Internet in three distinct areas:

●     Serious, large-audience bloggers

●     National-level industry websites

●     Niche-topic magazines

Each of these venues need fresh, high-quality content to continue to attract readers. They are all looking for well-written posts or articles from people who have "expert" knowledge in a narrow topic area. With a bit of work, you can land these better-paying gigs. First, you'll want to decide upon your own best specialty.

Why specialize?

Each of us knows something inside and out. Maybe you are the best gardener in your entire neighborhood. Perhaps you love woodworking--or know all about investing, car repairs, raising dogs, collecting stamps, taking cruises, or a thousand other "niche" topics. That's the key.

We've all heard the time-worn advice, "Write what you know." Let's amend that to, "Write what you love." Of course you can research to augment your own experience, but when you are passionate about a topic it shines like sunrise over Maui. Write about something that makes you glow inside, something you can speak knowledgeably about for hours, and that glow will infuse your efforts. That's the first step.

Next, you have to find a market.

I've written at great length about camping because I love it. The lure of the open road and finding new places. The scent of pine in the air. The crackle of an evening campfire. The time spent bonding with my kids, with the TV and laptop left behind. If I wanted to get paid to write about camping, I'd seek out national websites like Woodall's (a campground directory).

I could also run a group of keyword searches to find big bloggers, other industry websites, and outdoor-themed magazines. Many of these sites will be actively seeking great content. Some will pay a little, while other's might offer $1000 or more for an approved article. You have to hunt for the right opportunity. Then you have to Pitch.

Don't be afraid to Pitch.

It's not as scary as it sounds. Just as you would research agents to find the ones who might be interested in your next Historical Romance, you want to get to know your target market by doing some basic research. In the same way you would research a prospective employer before you applied for a job, you should approach a potential publisher with a clear understanding of their style and scope. Do your homework, and you're halfway to Published.

But before you put yourself out there, you should set yourself up for success. Every professional writing resource I've consulted offers the same basic advice. Let's call it the writers' version of Dress for Success:

●     Have at least a one-page basic writer's website for yourself, with an author photo and biographical information--especially showing any credentials or specialized knowledge. Publishers want to know who you are.

●     Develop a portfolio of on-topic writing samples. These could include blog posts on your own site, guest posts (free) on related websites, and image "clips" of any articles you've had printed in local publications (also often done for no pay). Feature only your very best work. Quality trumps quantity.

●     Brush up on your grammar skills. Sites like Copyblogger offer wonderful articles with headlines like, "11 Compound Word Errors that Might Make You Look like a Numbskull". Read them, learn them, love them--they're addictive. And avoiding common grammar errors will make you look like a seasoned veteran.

How much can you earn if you try?

A lot more than "pennies"! I'm no expert, because I already have a full-time job, and I write for the love of it. But I have industry friends who are experts, and they do very well indeed. Would you like to make an extra $1000 a month? You can absolutely do that.

But you can make more than that. $3000 a month is a reasonable target, if you're willing to do this full time. Even $5000 a month is by no means out of reach. That's quit-your-day-job money, don't you think?

Since I'm not the expert, I'm going to point you toward two experienced writers who are.

●     If you love the idea of blogging for pay, please consult the delightful Sophie Lizard, of Be a Freelance Blogger. She has a bit of a potty mouth, but she's a real pro and knows how to help you make money blogging.

●     If you'd rather dive into writing freelance articles for industry sites and magazines, get to know Carol Tice, of Make a Living Writing. She's been there, done that, and has amazing resources to jump-start your writing journey.

By the way, those aren't Affiliate Links; I won't earn a penny if you click them. So why send you to either expert's site? Because I know them, and trust them both. You can learn from either writer for free, or pay them to give you in-depth help.

Which brings me to final point. It's an important one, too. NETWORK. Get to know other writers and site owners in your chosen field. Make friends without regard to reward. Join a writers' group or online forum. Comment on blog posts in your niche. Be courteous, interested, and helpful.

You can never have too many friends. And we all know about those "doors" that open, sometimes mysteriously so. Well, you'll have to knock on some doors. Meet some new people. Bring a cherry pie and a smile, and you'll be amazed at how welcoming strangers can be.

Who knows? Maybe a year from now, with some hard work and dedication, YOU can be the one opening your door to welcome a friend who's just beginning her writing journey. You'll smile warmly and say, "Let me help you learn how to make money from your writing. If I can do it, so can you."

Have you ever earned some cash for your writing? What did you learn about the business in the process? Who has taken time to help you along the way?

Jim still earns about $2 a month from his 80+ revenue-share articles posted on Helium.com. Much more valuable, however, are the friendships he made there.

Today, Jim and his writing friends engage in friendly cash-prize writing competitions on his website SoWrite.Us.com. He'd love to meet you there, and introduce you to the rest of 

What's Up the Street Next Week?

Editing!

Sometimes you love it.
Most times you hate it.

What is one thing you like about the editing process?

What's UP the Street for The Alley?

Monday - Get ready to rearrange your perspective with a devotional post from Angie.

Tuesday - Jim Bessey's part II will continue with practical ideas for how to query an article and other freelance tips.

Wednesday - Karen, our world-traveler, is back with a post for you today.

Thursday - Ashley's bringing in the conference season with some ways to get conference-ready.

Friday - And speaking of edits, Amy climbs out of her whirlwind week of edits to welcome Sandra Orchards to The Alley.

Have a Fabulous WEEKEND....

From our Alley to Yours.

Be Your Own Best Critique Partner

Photo Credit

I really love to critique. Some of the best lessons to be applied to your own writing you can discover while critiquing someone else's work. For some twisted reason (probably because we are coming with new eyes, no prejudice and zero attachment to the words on the page) we can spot writing
problems easier when the story isn't our own.

But what happens when you don't have a critique partner?

You learn to be your own best critique-er.

All of us has one of two or ten people who will read bits and pieces of our work. Very few of us actually have someone who has stuck with us through the thick and thin of editing an entire novel. While currently editing my most recent story I found myself doing one of two things quite a bit: one, I was making comment bubbles to myself to come back to later. (comment bubbles are GENIUS! The person who invented those deserves a plate of cookies.)

Second, I started paying attention to what I was writing in these comments and I found I was talking to myself much as I would talk to a critique partner. We all leave these kind of comments: fix this. Blak! What where you thinking??? Rewrite this.

And while there is nothing wrong with those kind of comments, but they are too generic. They don't tell you anything and if you're anything like any other writer out there, when you come back through your manuscript looking for those comments, you'll go "what did I mean there??".

Instead, be specific. For example: the character's motivation is weak here. Maybe make this scene come later or cut completely since there is an emotional follow up in the following scene? Consider adding more action, maybe the car blows up. Hmm.

Talk to yourself in the comment bubbles. Much as you would give suggestions to a critique partner, extend the same courtesy to yourself. I have often "blind brainstormed" with those I've critiqued. While any suggestions I give them might not work out for the story, I share them anyway, just as I would if we were brainstorming in person. What I might share combined might be a good idea or better yet, spark an idea that could really help their story.

Do the same for your own story. Because I know the ending, I know where I want to take the story and also have ideas for threads I want to weave in and some I want to cut, I'm better equipped to leave ideas in bread crumb bites behind. If you're like me and like to fast-draft your edits, this method can work great when you're not wanting to sit and write out a new scene or completely rewrite it. Save those scene ideas for when you're in a "writing/creative" mood.

Be your own best critique partner.

If you have one or even if you don't, take the time to leave those notes to yourself. Chances are, you aren't going to remember everything you want to do or even if you keep a notebook of ideas remembering where you actually wanted to make these changes could prove...interesting. ;-) The comment bubbles allow them to be right there in the midst of the story. Better yet, you can jump from bubble to bubble in Word if you're looking for one specific comment.

Not having a critique partner doesn't have to be all bad. Be willing to be tough on yourself and snip and cut, brainstorming ways to make it better. Find some occasional readers to offer valuable feedback, pray for a craft partner, but then keep pressing forward.

Leave a comment for a chance to win a 5 page critique I'd be happy to share with one of you. I'll draw the winner next week and have Pepper announce it in the weekend edition. :-)

Share your best editing tips!

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Casey Herringshaw is a homeschool graduate and has been writing since high school. She lives in rural Eastern Oregon in a town more densely populated with cows than people.

The POWER of an HOUR

You know those cute questionnaires your kids bring home from school? Where they have to answer normal questions and answers from their sweet childlike perspective? You know, the ones that will occasionally ask questions like, "How old is your Mom?" to which they answer, "138" or something else super sad....

Well, this last year, my daughter brought home one of those for Mother's Day and one of the questions was something like: What is your Mom's favorite song?

Her answer?

"Power in the Blood."

HA HA HA!!!

Okay, so there is nothing funny about the song. It really IS an amazing song because there is such AMAZING power in the blood of Jesus, and really, when you sing it with gusto, you can FEEL the power coming out of your lungs, can I get an amen in the blog?!? But... I'm sure the teacher was like, uh, WHAT? Is your Momma part vampire or something?!?

You see, occassionally I will, uh, belt out fav hymns at the top of my lungs (I may or may not jazz it up with some on purpose offkey notes just for the heck of it.) I'm talking some window shaking bad singing, people. It drives my kids nuts. I love it!


So yeah, maybe there's a bit of power in my singing too, ay?

There is something else that has a wee bit of power that I've found lately.

AN HOUR.

Yes, one measly, little ol' hour. 60 minutes. 3600 seconds.

I've seen other authors do the #1k1h tweet in the past, but have never joined in. I have always believed in writing in the snippets of time I have, but have found it increasingly difficult lately. I LOVE when I have a few hours to just get away from everything and write. I get a TON of word count in, so the little bits I was getting in were depressing. And my story plot had been super frustrating me lately, only compounding my problem.

But then a few weeks ago... desperate for something to infuse some life into my crippled manuscript, I decided to try a #1k1h. (which stands for writing 1000 words in 1 hour.) Really, a local author had posted in my writers group Facebook page that she was going to get an hour in, and I was like... fine. Annabelle's napping, let's do this.

I set the timer on my phone. Threatened my other children within an inch of their life (i.e. cookies all around if they left me alone... I am a fantastic mother, what can I say...) Opened my manuscript on my computer... and wrote. No editing, no stopping to brainstorm or research.

I just wrote, hoping to reach that 1000 words, doubtful that I would.

An hour later, the timer buzzed.

I checked my word count.

WHAT?????????????

That was my reaction.

Because I had written 1,739 words!!!!!!!!!

In just ONE HOUR!

That is more than I've gotten in some of the "several hour" stints I've done at Starbucks in the past year.

I repeated that almost every day for the last two weeks. One day I had only a half hour to devote, so I did a #.5k/.5h and got in 700 words. But in all, I've increased by 15k-20k in the last two weeks... which is more than I've written in the past 6 months prior to that!

So yes, I've known since I was a little girl that there is MIGHTY power in the BLOOD of Jesus... and that there is definitely power in cookies to bribe children... and maybe some power in my singing (yeah, probably not...) but now I know the immense power in one little piddly hour to help jumpstart a book that was getting a bit dusty.

I dare you to try it today.

Just one hour.

Shut out EVERYTHING else.... and shoot for that 1000 words.

Even if you just have a half hour... use that. Remember: No research. No editing. Just writing. Set a timer. And go.

Report back how you did!!!!!

Successful Writers Have Discernment

This last week I read an interesting passage in I Kings 22. At the time, the evil Ahab was king of Israel and Jehoshaphat, who did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, ruled Judah. Ahab asked Jehoshaphat to help him attack Ramoth Gilead. Jehoshaphat said he would help if Ahab first sought the counsel of the Lord.

Ahab asked his four hundred prophets Jehoshaphat's question and received a resounding, "Yes. Go, for the Lord will give it into your hands."

Jehoshaphat asked, "Is there a prophet of the Lord we can ask?"

At this point, Jehoshaphat demonstrated a sense of discernment. He considered the given advice and recognize a possible problem. Later in this event, we learn the Lord did not want them to attack, thus validating Jehoshaphat's concerns.

Discernment: 
1.  To perceive by sight or some other sense or by the intellect; see, recognize, or apprehend: They discerned a sail on the horizon.
2.  To distinguish mentally; recognize as distinct or different; discriminate: He is incapable of discerning right from wrong.
(From dictionary.com)

The ability to discern requires experience, time, practice, desire, motivation, and etc. Consider a child who is given a plate of cookies and a plate of spinach. Will the child be able to make a nutritional choice? While the child may pick up a spinach leaf, his choice will not be based on nutritional value.

Developing an ability to discern is important to any career. Today we'll focus on the writing career. What does an aspiring writer need to do to gain a discerning eye.

1. A successful writer is able to discern which comments, criticisms, or compliments are beneficial. When receiving a crit from a partner or judge, the writer must remember the human component involved. This partner/judge may know writing techniques, but she may not like the story. To discern a crit:  Susan May Warren suggests the writer should look at the average score or comment made by the partner/judge. From there, look for what ranked higher and lower. Those are the components worthy of addressing. The leader of an ACFW critique loop said, "If two or more people point out the same issue, take heed. If only one, mostly let it be." 

2. A successful writer is able to discern the quality of his own work, by reading it out loud and listening to the sound of the words. Is it clunky to read? Are there boring, long narratives, or choppy pages and pages of dialogue? Backstory infesting beginning pages, grammar issues, and etc. Even successful writers will find these issues in their manuscripts and quickly weed them out.

3. A successful writer is able to discern whether a story line will sell and support a whole book. If you are not sure, share your book idea with someone. Verbalizing the idea out loud helps our own ears recognize issues and opens the doors for questions from the person we share our idea with. Can the questions be answered? If not, reformat the idea. Practice doing this for each book you write until mastered. 

4. A successful writer is able to discern if the chosen subplots match the overall story, deepen the overall story, sprout new story sequels, and dominate or steal from the overall story. Three of these four are good.

5. A successful writer is able to discern if the research is applicable to the story, is complete, proves or disproves the story. It will do me no good to research life in 1829 if my story is about the stock market crash.

6. A successful writer is able to discern if they are ready to start writing a story. Even SOTP writers need to start with something. Stepping onto a frozen lake without testing the ice maybe foolish. You could fall in.

7. A successful writer is able to discern if the main plot has deep enough roots to provide a satisfying story. Many tall trees have been toppled by a gentle breeze. Do you have characters who are struggling, heroes who may not be perfect, lies, truths, tragedies, triumphs, resolutions, satisfying endings?

8. A successful writer is able to discern when to push forward and when to rest from their work. The Ecclesiastes experience needs to be mastered: a time to eat, a time to rest, a time to work, a time to...

9.  A successful writer is able to discern a proper order. Not all stories need to follow a timeline, although most do. Are the subplot segments threaded through the story at the best time to cause the greatest impact?  A radio segment discussed a hot dog eating contest. The winner consumed thirty something hot dogs in ten minutes. Following the discussion the same station aired a commercial: what to do if someone is considering suicide. Yeah. This is not what I mean by best time to cause the greatest impact.

Why can successful writers like Tracie Peterson, Terri Blackstock, etc crank out great books year after year? 

What is their secret? 

What are they able to discern? 

What should number 10 be?


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photo courtesy of freedigitalphotos.net

This blog post is by Mary Vee

Mary has moved to Michigan with her husband, closer to her three college kids. She misses the mountains of Montana, but loves seeing family more often. She writes contemporary and romance Christian fiction and loves to pen missionary and Bible adventure stories on her ministry blog, God Loves Kids.

Visit Mary at her website and her ministry blog to families: God Loves Kids. Or chat on Facebook or Twitter

Linked Up Post...News You Can Use

Photo by Salvatore Vuono
freedigitalphotos.net

Well, I've found a few cool blog posts and articles that I thought you might be interested in. Just a few, but it's rather fun to read up on other people's thoughts and news.

Have you heard the news about Summerside Press closing it's doors? I know, I know...it's a bummer. You can read up on it HERE at Steve Laube's blog.

Here's an interesting article about Writing Sexual Tension Without Any...you know...Sex by Alice Gaines. Found at the Savvy Authors site.

Have you seen any 2013 movies based on books? Here's a list, including upcoming movies you can look forward to.

I found an excellent article by Tina Bustamante at the McGregor Literacy blog. It's called Refining Our Fiction and speaks about getting our stories in tip-top shape, refined to perfection.

Alas, Google Reader is no more. Monday, July 1, 2013, Google shut it down. Here is a nice obituary for Google Reader, along with recommendations for other readers.

Interested in becoming an influencer for a debut author with her debut book? Melissa Tagg is about to release her novel, Made To Last, and is looking for influencers. Check it out HERE.

Alley Cat Casey has a giveaway on her blog! Trouble in Store by Carol Cox. Looks like a great read and the interview with Carol is GREAT! Check it out HERE. Giveaway ends July 19.

This week only you can buy 5 ebooks on Writing for only $7.40!!! Titles are:
You Are A Writer by Jeff Goins
Self-Publish: Moving From Idea to Product by Erin Ulrich and Teri Lynne Underwood
31 Days to Becoming A Better Writer by Kristina J. Tanner
How to Market and Sell Your eBook by Sarah Mae
On Becoming A Better Writer by Denise J. Hughes
You can check out the description of these books and place an order HERE. (I did!)


Have you read anything interesting of late? News? Tidbits? Please share!

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This post is brought to you by

 Sherrinda Ketchersid

Sherrinda is a minister's wife and mother to three giant sons and one gorgeous daughter. A born and bred Texan, she writes historical romance filled with fun, faith, and fo

What's Up the Street Next Week?

Lights! Matches! Fireworks!

They're always amazing to watch, aren't they? Bright. Sudden! A remarkable display.

Ever had that happen in your books? Ever read it in a book?

Romance? Adventure? Suspense?

Share one of your favorite novels that 'blew you away'!

So, what's shining this week on The Alley?

Monday - What is Your Kryptowrite? Pepper attempts to chat about strengthening little weaknesses to make your writing super!

Tuesday- Sherrinda's up with another great post for you!

Wednesday - Mary continues her fantastic series with Successful Writers Have Discernment

Thursday - If anybody knows The Value of an Hour, it's Krista! Come join her today as she shares with you.

Friday - Stop by for a surprise post from Casey about editing.

Have a fabulous weekend - from our Alley to Yours...