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Want to write? I can help. I am a professional writer. For more than 10 years I have made my living
on my writing. Now I can help you.
Perhaps you are working on a memoir,
essay or work of fiction. Maybe you want to write, but you aren't sure
how to get started. My work has appeared in some of the nation's top publications. I can evaluate your work-in-progress and recommend how to improve it and approach agents. Or I can arm you with the guidance and confidence you need to turn your writing into a fulfilling hobby. Contact me for a group or private consultation.
Here are some resources for writers.
- Get yourself a Writer's Market. The
reference book is available at any bookstore and compiles vital
information such as what to pitch and pay rates for thousands of
magazines, newspapers, publishing houses and more. Writersmarket.com
offers a search engine that makes the site easier to use than the book,
in my view. But for a beginner the book offers valuable articles on how
to get started.
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Read Handbook to Freelance Writing
by Michael Perry. It is an honest, insightful guide for a beginner
describing the business from every angle, from how to conduct an
interview to how to structure a query letter to how to set up a home
office.
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Read On Writing Well by William Zinsser. Valuable writing instruction.
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Get yourself The ASJA Guide to Freelance Writing. Published by the American Society of Journalists and Authors,
the book is worth keeping within easy reach for help with contracts and
more. The organization puts together a conference annually in New York
that is open to nonmembers and worth the expense for a serious
freelancer.
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Check out The Independent Journalist, a blog run by the freelance committee of the Society of Professional Journalists.
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Check out mediabistro.com,
a Web site for media professionals offering online courses, industry news, a
directory of freelancers, articles on freelancing and
how to pitch major markets and more.
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Read Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott. Wise words on writing and life.
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Check out How to Write a Book Proposal by Michael Larsen. The book reads like stereo instructions.