5 Tips to Stay Productive

This week's posts will focus on staying productive during slower times--namely, the summer months and the holidays. Wednesday's guest blogger, Jodi Webb, will offer some great tips on keeping that output strong even when you feel like spending the last few weeks of summer lounging poolside.

However, to get you ready for Wednesday's post, here are a few of my own tips for staying productive:

1.) Do a little at a time. If you're working on a lengthy or complicated piece, do as much as you can handle at one sitting. Set up a timeline so you can keep yourself on track, but don't feel as though you need to tackle the whole thing in one day.

2.) Work on a variety of projects. I'm lucky to be working on a few different projects, between my own assignments and things I've taken on through my involvement in my writer's group. If I get bored with one of my columns, I can go back to the children's book I'm helping to write for the group, or develop a query or two. If you have a few different things to work on, you'll get bored less quickly.

3.) Get caught up. Do you have some half-finished essays sitting around that you've been meaning to tackle "when I have time", or a query that's been percolating in the back of your mind for months? If the rest of your workload is dwindling, create some assignments of your own and get back to those long-forgotten projects.

4.) Re-visit old story ideas. Perhaps you hit a stride with some of the ideas you pitched, and were busy developing the articles. Now they're wrapped up, so it's time to send out a few more queries. Check out your old notebooks, emails, lists, or wherever you jotted down your next money-making idea and see if there's any interest with editors.

5.) Follow up with editors. Don't be too quick to write off the summer as non-productive! You may still have some work waiting out there if you follow up with the editors you've queried. If you had no response to your initial query, send a follow-up and ask them what the status might be for your article. Editors have a long list of demands on their time, and it's possible that they haven't had a chance to reply to you. Help them out. I'll usually cut and paste my original query into my follow up email so they're not scrambling to find it in their inbox.

Finding Freelance Jobs Online

Whether you're a full-time, most-of-the time, or fledgling freelancer, you're always on the lookout for new places to submit your work, whether it's a new publication or some other kind of writing outlet. Luckily, the Internet holds no shortage of possible freelance opportunities.

Below is just a sampling of the many sites dedicated to posting freelance jobs:

FreelanceSwitch. Everything you've ever wanted to know about freelancing--not just writing--can be found on this site. There is a whole host of freelance jobs, blogs, articles, and other resources available to make your freelance career easier!

Media Bistro. A job board for job seekers and job posters alike. MediaBistro often posts opportunities for Fortune 500 companies and high-paying markets.

WritersWeekly.com. One of the most informative and comprehensive writing publications out there, WritersWeekly.com is a free e-newsletter that lists paying markets and freelance writing/editing opportunities.

Freelance Daily. There is a minimal cost to subscribe to this site, but the variety of jobs that are sent to your inbox every day are well worth the cost. Some of the opportunities look a bit iffy at times (I'm generally wary of any Craiglist posting), but the majority are legit. If you think your niche is a bit too specialized, fear not--there is someone out there looking for your specific brand of writing expertise!

Any that I missed? What other sites are dedicated to posting freelance job opportunities?

Guest Post: 4 Resources to Help You Get Started in Writing for Children by Priscilla Y. Huff

Priscilla Y. Huff has written children's nonfiction for Highlights Magazine, Pennsylvania Magazine, and the Indoor and Outdoor Cooperative Game Book for Scholastic Professional Books.

Becoming a children’s writer is not a step-down from serious writing. Even before J. K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series’ phenomenal success, many children’s authors have written moving, complex, and/or simple and beautiful books for children (including teens and young adults). Think of those books that had an impact on your own growing years and how they stimulated your imagination or invited you into a world where you could relate to the hero or heroine; or showed and informed you of the real, non-fiction wonders of this world and beyond. Those writers were as excellent or even better than many authors of mainstream books for adults. If you have always wanted to write stories and books for children, here are four excellent resources that can get you started in your professional children’s writing career:

1) Children’s Writer & Illustrator’s Market - published by Writer’s Digest Books - http://tinyurl.com/lbtlj8 -. This annual directory lists agents and artists’ representatives; U. S. and international publishers; publications; contests, awards, and grants; helpful resources and more. Find a current copy in the writing section of most chain bookstores or the reference sections of public and college libraries.

2) Children’s Writer - http://www.childrenswriter.com/ - 95 Long Ridge Rd., West Redding, CT 06896-1124; An excellent monthly print newsletter with articles, publishers looking for writers, and more. Yearly subscription.

3) Children’s Book Insider - www.write4kids.com/ - Monthly online newsletter for beginning, intermediate, and experienced children’s writers. Yearly subscription.

4) Society of Children's Book Writers & Illustrators - www.scbwi.org/ - THE most important professional organization for a children’s writer and/or illustrator to join. Its 22,000 worldwide members consist of writers, illustrators, and others working in film, television and multimedia. Membership includes participation in regional chapters; conferences; newsletter. Yearly membership dues.

Review-read copies of these publications or talk to subscribers/members to see if one or all of these resources are best for your writing endeavors. They will provide you with all of the information and markets you need to get started today as a children’s author, no matter what your present age or educational background.

To Market, To Market...Finding Markets for Your Work

In honor of Wednesday's guest blogger, who will be talking about markets for children's writing, I thought I would make "markets" sort of the theme for this week.

Most writers know that having an idea is one thing, but finding an appropriate market for that idea is another triumph all its own. I've gotten plenty of rejections because my idea "wasn't quite right" for the publication, they recently ran a similar story, or they have a similar one in progress. I've also had to tweak queries because the idea was rejected by more than one editor. It happens.

If you're just getting started in the wonderful world of freelancing and you're looking for markets for your work, below is a brief list of the ones I typically use:

WritersWeekly.com. This free weekly newsletter includes Success Stories, feature articles, and an extensive list of paying markets and freelance jobs. The markets are indexed, so you can scroll through their listings whenever you want.

Wooden Horse Publishing. You must subscribe to the service in order to access their complete markets database, but you can sign up to receive their free weekly newsletter that includes new markets, industry news, and other info of interest to freelancers.

Absolute Write. This is a free site that includes extensive market listings (including a few greeting card companies), screenwriting markets, and other paying freelance jobs.

If there is a publication you're interested in writing for and you can't locate it on any of the above sites, do a Google search and see if the publication has contributor guidelines available. They can sometimes be difficult to locate, but I've had luck with the "About Us" or "Contact Us" pages if there's no tab specifically for writers or submission guidelines.

Happy Writing!

The Madness of Creativity

I just finished reading Nancy Milford's biography about Zelda Fitzgerald (titled, appropriately, Zelda) for an article I'm working on. When I finished the book and gave myself some time to think about it, I was struck again by the often delicate line between manic depression and creativity. I used an article called "That Fine Madness" from an old issue of Discover Magazine about this very topic for a paper in high school, and I've held on to it for all these years--something about it just stayed with me.

What is the connection between creative genius and psychological disorders? If I can psychoanalyze for just a bit, in the case of Zelda (and her husband), it seemed obvious that they were co-dependent on each other, yet couldn't stand to see the other one have even a small amount of professional literary success. Their egos were just too fragile.

They're not alone. Virginia Woolf, Anne Sexton, Ernest Hemingway, and Sylvia Plath are just a few of the other literary voices whose depression got the better of them and they committed suicide. Hunter S. Thompson and David Foster Wallace are just two more modern examples. So what's that all about? Is the pressure to produce (both internally and from the wider publishing world and critics, not to mention readers) simply too much? Why don't more creative types succumb? Besides those who went to the extreme, there are those writers too numerous to mention who have battled some type of addiction--Stephen King has been very candid about his alcohol and drug abuse, not to mention the others I'm surely forgetting.

So what's worse--the burden of producing one or two great works, and the pressure to keep producing works that meet those same standards, or hitting huge stretches of no productivity at all?

Guest Post: 10 Steps to a Successful Query Email by Susan Johnston

[A Note from Sara: Every Wednesday in August, I'll be turning over the floor to a guest blogger who can share additional tips and thoughts on the writing life. I'm very lucky to have Susan Johnston, a Boston-based lifestyle/business writer and blogger, do the first post! Enjoy!]

Whether you want to write for glossy magazines or independent websites, you'll usually need to send a query selling the editor on 1) why their readers will want to read about a given topic and 2) why you are the perfect person to write the article. These days, most editors accepts accept queries via email, which means you that you'll sometimes hear a yay or nay very quickly. Just don't let the fast pace and informal nature of email ruin your chances of making a good impression.

Here are ten steps to ensure that your query is polished and professional.

1. Read the writer’s guidelines if they are available (you’ll usually find them under “About Us,” “FAQ,” or “Site map” on the website), but don’t limit yourself to publications that have guidelines posted online. If you can’t find guidelines online, you can email the editor or contact person listed to find out if they work with freelance writers.

2. Do a quick search to make sure that the publication hasn’t covered the topic recently. Many sites have a built in search function. You can also search within any domain using Google. Type in “article topic” site:domain.com and Google will pull up any pages on that site that include your article topic anywhere on the page. Try a few different variations of your topic’s keywords to cover your bases. If it's a magazine that isn't available online, many libraries have databases with extensive magazine archives.

3. Research the publication and read previous articles. Know what types of topics they cover and where your idea might fit in. For instance, in a query to Self magazine, you might write "let me know if this idea is a fit for 15 Minutes to Your Best Self." That way you’ve tipped off your editor that you know the publication and can (presumably) write in their format and style.

4. Write an eye-catching intro. “I’d like to write an article about X” probably won’t excite an editor. Craft your lede as if you were writing the actual article and want to grab the reader’s attention. Then explain why the topic is relevant those readers now.

5. Play up your expertise relating to your topic. If you don’t have any writing clips yet, don’t mention it in your query. You can find other ways to play up your background without admitting that you’re a newbie. For instance, “as a former science teacher, I am well versed in ...” Or, “Potty training is a topic that I’m intimately familiar with thanks to my three children.”

6. Use links to your writing samples instead of sending them as attachments (unless the guidelines specifically request attachments). Sometimes attachments get caught in spam filters, and many editors are leery of getting a virus from a writer they don’t know.

7. Always, always proofread before you hit send. Some editors will overlook a typo here or there if it’s an otherwise well-written, well thought out query, but major mistakes could send the message that you’re a sloppy writer (especially if you misspell the editor’s name!). Don’t rely on spell check.

8. Use an interesting subject line, but leave out words that scream SPAM! (For instance, “free” is a tip-off to a lot of spam filters and “I love you” was the subject line for a notorious email virus.) I often use this formula - Query: Name of Proposed Article. Then when I follow-up, I replace “query” with “follow-up.”

9. Follow-up. The timing of your follow-up will depend on the nature of the publication. If the writer’s guidelines say you should wait six weeks, then wait six weeks. If it’s a time-sensitive topic, you could follow-up sooner. When in doubt, I usually wait about three or four weeks, then resend with a short note reiterating my interest and including the original query as a forward.

10. Send another pitch right away if the editor rejects your idea but encourages you to send more pitches. Persistence pays.

SusanJohnston is a Boston-based freelance writer and blogger who has covered business and lifestyle topics for The Boston Globe, The Christian Science Monitor, DailyCandy.com, Yahoo! HotJobs, and many other publications. Want to know more? Check out The Urban Muse or follow her on Twitter.

What's Your Motivation?

All writers have our own reasons for why we pursue the craft. Some of us have discovered that writing articles, columns, and copy can be handy extra income. Others are working on a manuscript and hope to see their work on bookshelves someday. And others have their own myriad reasons for why they show up at the keyboard every day and pound out text.

There are a lot of reasons for why I continue to work at it. I'm interested in a lot of different things, and writing has given me a way to learn more about those things. Many of the people that I've gotten to interview and the things that I've gotten to do keep me coming back for more, as well. It is also a great outlet for me to share what I know with others. And yet another reason is that writing has been an incredible way to relieve stress and make sense of a few otherwise very difficult moments in my life. Writing has always been one of the few constants in my life, and I always feel challenged to make each piece better. And yes, okay, I admit that the income is nice, too.

What's your motivation? Why do you keep writing?