Writers Unbound

So, it’s not news, per se, but freelance blogging is really becoming a moneymaker for many internet prone writers. Companies recognize it as the newest marketing tool, internet sites know the constant content grabs the readers.

Not one to reinvent the wheel, I’d rather cite Deb Ng’s blogging How To at About Weblogs for the why and hows.

I will say, however, that this is a medium that can have appeal to all types of writers. Fiction-oriented scribes still get to use their creative voice, while some freelancers can form relationships with companies, products and sites. Others can concentrate on the expose or profile type blogging that reminds them of magazine writing and journalistic outlets.

Want to start your own blog? Try Blogspot or Wordpress. Are you thinking about blogging solely to make money? If so, you’d better read this first. 

There’s a whole dynamic of writers out there, obviously. Because of my work with some other sites, I have had the pleasure of working with some newbie freelance writers.

In the last couple days, I’ve ran into so many ezines that interest me that my bookmarks are running into two columns. It occurred to me that ezines may be particularly good for some of my newbie friends to target for first publication. Here’s why:

• The multitude of e-magazines out there makes it easy to find one dealing with a subject about which you are passionate. Passion brings you that much closer to solid writing.
• Many neophytes use the net to break into writing. They then get to know the writing style that works best for the web, translating easily into ezine styled columns/articles etc.
• The sheer number of ezines available make me feel comfortable enough to say “webzines are much easier to break into than print.” Now, I’m not saying anything about quality, just pure amounts.

Caveats:

• Many ezines are thinly veiled advertisements. Therefore, you’ll need to do your homework, take note of quality and so on. Aim high!
• I’ve seen ezines come and go within the span of a month. Some of them with my hard work in them! Again, research!

The Ezine Directory has 3600+ ezines in 42 categories- a great place to start!

I’ve been following a couple of internet discussions regarding writer’s spaces in preparation for today: I’m getting my office remodeled today!:)

Ok, sorry, I am excited but I am not gloating, because I know that many talented writers work at their kitchen table and turn out darn decent stuff. More power to them!

I, on the other hand, am a distractable basket case at times. (please note I said at times) So, I’m manipulating my environment in order to  increase productivity.

While I’m doing that, check out over 100 comments at Problogger.net on writing space for pro-bloggers, many of which include youtubes and pictures.

So, is it unprofessional to write anywhere other than in a set office? That discussion happened over at Deb Ng’s site, and got maybe a little itty bit contentious at times.

But what if you don’t have a good space to write? Or you need to get out of the house/office? Well, if you live in an urban area, there may actually be writer’s studios available to you. Over at About.com, the fiction channel covers some urban area’s studios spaces.

I adored looking at pictures of other’s writing spaces, offices and couches alike. Feel free to post a link to yours!  

This site is currently in need of a writer. If you have any interest in writing on the topic this site covers, feel free to submit an application at 451 Press. Thank you.

451 Press, Writers Needed

We were rained out. We had equipment deadlines. We were want for electricity. We had to make many compromises and even more rewrites.

Don’t you just love Murphy’s law?

But we had a script and then we had a short film.

Here it is (the script) before we were forced to change so much.

Ingmar Bergman, The Seventh Seal, short film, Nintendo, Super Smash Bros. Melee, Death, knight, river, chess, game, absurd, existential, comedy

The following are helpful links for all sorts of writers, from magazine and blog freelancers to poets and novelists:

DarkRoom - A fantastic, full-screen word processor that echoes the visuals of DOS command.

Creating A Writer’s Resume - A guide to…well…you can read, can’t you? Otherwise, you wouldn’t be here!

NewPages Listing of Literary Magazines - No explanation needed, as above.

42opus - For when you’ve exhausted the NewPages listing and are looking for more.

Describe a landscape as seen by a bird. Do not mention the bird.

(Keep in mind, these prompts come from John Gardner’s remarkable book, The Art of Fiction.)

Al Gore’s The Assault on Reason?

Cormac McCarthy’s The Road?

Mohsin Hamid’s The Reluctant Fundamentalist?

Muscular contains a single “A.” No one is aware of this.

Watch the interview of Al Gore on the May 24th episode of the Daily Show. You’ll see that, when he speaks, he certainly makes a lot of sense, but all of it sounds cyborg-esque. One of his “uhhs” reminded me of Max Headroom.

The Xbox Live service is essentially Mos Eisley: a wretched hive of scum and villainy. However, it is a modern interpretation, so that scum and villainy is mostly comprised of hormonal and not to mention sadistic teenagers jacked up on Mountain Dew and UFC bouts.

muscular, Al Gore, Jon Stewart, Daily Show, cyborg, Max Headroom, Xbox, Xbox Live, Mos Eisley, Star Wars, teenagers, Mountain Dew, UFC

Describe and evoke a simple action (for example, sharpening a pencil, carving a tombstone, shooting a rat).

(Keep in mind, these prompts come from John Gardner’s remarkable book, The Art of Fiction.)