Writing Freebies Costs Too Much

The Internet is overflowing with so-called "writing opportunities", many of which exploit writers. These sites are like the old song, "friendly stranger in the black sedan" offering something that amounts to nothing.

Curb your excitement at being a featured (free) writer long enough to read the fine print. That's where you discover that these sites own your work forever with the right to distribute it in any form, any language ,for any purpose without your permission. The site can sell your work and pay you nothing.

How does this happen? It happens because a writer does not know the meaning of various types of "rights". I recommend reading their excellent article with a simple explanation from the blog, The Blood Red Pencil. Look at the two part article on "Freelance Writing Rights".

The second problem is the "time limited pitch". Sites seeking to lure writers to work free have the long sales pitches which suggest this is a "now or never" decision. The pitch may say something like "claim your category now before it's taken" or "guarantee exclusive topic for you."  Don't buy into this. You will spend hours writing what few see and lose the rights to your work.

The third problem is that these sites rarely deliver what is promised. Do you really think that "top Hollywood producers" sit in their offices searching free writing sites to find the next blockbuster script? Top paying magazines have work sent to them. That's why the editors have slush piles of freelance articles that have to be taken down by chain saw as the piles reach ceiling height each month.

Better idea: If you want to build a following for your work, start a blog and gradually increase followers. An added bonus is that you consistently practice writing. Like musicians, writers practice daily to improve technique.


How hard is it to blog? I am impressed with the ease of setting up this blog on Google Blogger and it’s free. Even if you can barely spell "HTML" you can use this blog platform which is a major plus. You own the work and have many ways to blog roll and link your blog to build a following. Blogging is free writing that has a direct benefit for you in building your “brand” as a writer.

Sneak Preview

Now you can preview the first 3 chapters of my new Ethical Thriller,Taylor Kendall: Evil, Inc.
Go to my book website and enjoy reading. Caution: prepare to be hooked on the action for which the cure is to get the book from Amazon

Experience is what you get when . . .

Among the favorite buttons on the bulletin board over my computer is the one that proclaims:

Experience is what you get when you don't get what you want.

Think about a time when that was true in your life. Chances are that after the mess was sorted out and the tears dried, you gained insight. As a writer you can tap into those emotions and show how your character progresses from mountaintop to valley and crawls back up again. Notice how often that process becomes the plot line. Its harder to write about tough times from the outside looking in, you need experience in angst to fully grasp the situation or to convey it to a reader.

Writers have an advantage, I believe, in we have the ability to work out those issues in a story. Whether you choose to make the story autobiographical or sprinkle the fiction with moments of truth, experiences are a valuable part of making fiction feel real.

So the next time you are in a wretched situation, make careful notes about your feelings, actions and reactions. Simply writing out your frustrations can be therapeutic, prevent you from saying something aloud that you might later regret and provide background for a future writing project.

iPhone envy

If Freud were still around, he too might have iPhone envy. My condition is complicated by delusions that Verizon will eventually get the iPhone and avoid splitting my family into two camps (like rival football teams).
As a Clinical Psychotherapist, I might be able to make a case for Adjustment Disorder with Anxious Mood (anxiously awaiting the latest Verizon/iPhone acquisition rumor to become reality). I have already attempted the Droid cure which lasted for three miserable days. Perhaps I am not techie enough to grasp the value of this "iPhone wannabe".

The purpose (excuse) for this electronic angst is to become more involved in blogging, Twitter and Facebook. My iTouch makes that possible but only when near an Internet signal. Getting serious about blogging shows me the legitimate value of an Internet capable phone, not to mention the ease of carrying it around. I have already moved from laptop computer to netbook for easier toting so I can stay in communication with the online classes I teach and with social media. While my netbook snuggles nicely inside my chic Vera Bradley Tall Tote, it's still heavier than a hand held phone.

Thanks to small electronic wonders, writers can keep a keyboard handy to record ideas or avoid losing the inspiration that helps to complete a scene in the latest manuscript. I confess that I still carry a small notebook in my purse, however, there's a huge time advantage to getting ideas in cut/paste form.

Meanwhile, I remain in serious iPhone envy.

What writers can learn from bumper stickers

Coming out of Starbucks this morning I saw a bumper sticker on a hunk-of-junk car that made me laugh;

This car gets better MPG than Al Gore's Jet

The contrast was as humorous as the idea. That also caused me to reflect on how much can be said in a few words. Twitter's 140 character requirement makes us think before we type (not a bad idea) to get the message across in short space. That's so like what I learned in broadcast news for teaser headlines like;
"Aliens invading local council meeting, film at 11". The idea isn't to tell the whole story, merely to compel the listener to stick around for the next newscast.

College educated writers may be at a disadvantage in what I call the "write tight" mode. That's what my news editor told me in my first radio news job. He cautioned that news writing was conversational not academic and occasionally not grammatically correct. For example, students lose points for ending sentences with a preposition while real people in conversation do that all the time. So I adapted and used my academic knowledge like spice in a food; just enough for gourmets to cheer without confusing the hot dog crowd.
I adapted to a point however I still can't bring myself to end a sentence with as preposition - - - its like chalk screeching on a blackboard.

Keep in mind what you as a writer can learn from bumper stickers. How would you promote your book, blog or article on a bumper sticker to make the reader crazed to know more? Try it. Here's as bumper sticker promo for my new book:

Help us spread Evil. www.taylorkendall.com

Fabulous Find for Women Writers

Just found a fantastic blog for women writers: http://chicklitgurrl.blogspot.com/
This Gurrl presents exciting new titles written by women, for women (ok, guys, you can sneak a peek).
I appreciate her reviews and there's even more writing ideas at her web site. Would be honored to have her review my new book.

I favor sites like ChickLitGurrl where I can learn from other writers and hear what's happening in their genres. So glad I surfed around to find this girlfriends treasure.

Inspiration all around

Writers need only look around to find inspiration. Beyond the timid butterflies, sweet magnolia blossoms and sunset on the beach are the nitty gritty snapshots of life that beg for "the write twist". I saw one today while driving out of the Aldi parking lot. Beside the street were 4 huge concrete barriers. Nothing remarkable you say, look again. Written in spray paint on each was, "Do Not Move".

Not inclined to discourage any writer, I have to wonder what possessed someone to write that phrase. The fear of drive-by theft is only realistic if one is driving a construction crane. Behind this concrete oxymoron is a story and frankly, I wonder what it is. Something so odd can become the catalyst for an essay or short story. It might even appear as a scene in a book. If you read this in my next novel, you'll know why.

Keep your eyes and ears open for the unusual, the absurd and the curious. Each has a story if you are willing to tell it.

Nothing happens without the write twist

Ages ago naughty stripper Gypsy Rose Lee became famous because she knew that "you gotta have a gimmick." Hers was feathers. Mine is words. That means I have to have "the write twist" to capture a reader's attention.

Since Aristotle, writers have debated how many types of plots exist. Personally, I don't care. What makes my plot different from yours isn't the plot itself but the twist that I take in developing that story. If you have attended Writer's Conferences where each attendee starts with the same first sentence then has 15 minutes to write an opening to a story, you quickly hear how many ways that same beginning can develop into vastly different stories. That's a great exercise for your writer's group to do (or do it yourself by taking the sentence on a new write twist each day for a week).

For a writer, the world is modeling clay and you are in charge. You can frame your "write world" anyway you choose. Don't be afraid to twist your characters slightly and find out what they will do. The result might be the spice that does wonders for your story.