My first experience ghostwriting for someone else was some years ago. I had to write quotes to be included in press releases, content for newsletters and a number of other communications as if they were written by members of senior level management for the company where I worked.
I didn’t do a great job my first [...]

In Writer’s Market 2009, there’s a great “Query Letter Clinic” (an article) that describes how to write a query letter for a magazine. I’ve summarized the main points below, and included a sample of a good nonfiction magazine query.
But first, fellow scribes:
“Write while the heat is in you. The writer who postpones the recording of [...]

In this guest post, author and psychologist Dr. Paulette Kouffman Sherman, Ph.D., describes how to stay in the zone and succeed as a writer. 
First, a quip from Arthur Hailey on how to be a successful writer:
“I set myself 600 words a day as a minimum output, regardless of the weather, my state of mind or [...]

Writing always poses challenges. Having a chronic illness, disability, or indeed any circumstances that makes us housebound, can make the writing life seem overwhelming. I took a year out to write, but badly injured my back at the very start. At first, I wanted to give up, but after careful thought I realized I could [...]

You need more than talent and good ideas to be a writer. To persevere after constant rejections and keep pitching into the editorial abyss, you need personality traits that go beyond talent and creativity. I’ve rounded up a few qualities of successful writers - and they apply to freelancers, hobbyists, bloggers, or published authors.
First, I gotta throw in a quip from Anne [...]

While there’s no “winning formula” to writing excellent query letters, it is good to see how published freelance writers pitch their ideas. So, here’s a query letter I sent to MSN Health, which they accepted a couple days later.
“The most effective query letters get into the specifics from the very first line,” write the experts [...]

One of my friends - who is also a writer - asked what sacrifices I’ve made as a full-time freelance writer. My immediate reaction was, “Sacrifices? What sacrifices? I love writing - I’ve made no sacrifices! Are you insane??!!”
But I was wrong. There are sacrifices to a freelance writing career.
For instance, check out this poem [...]

The panels of professional writers, agents, and editors were one of the best parts of the Surrey International Writer’s Conference. I love panels because they give you a great cross-section of experience and opinions. Here’s what I learned from one of the writers’ panels at this conference, in a Q & A format.
First, a quip from [...]

If I could attend a writing conference (or a conference for entrepreneurs) every month, I’d be one happy woman! Here’s what I learned in my three days at the Surrey International Writer’s Conference in October, 2008.
First, a quip from best-selling author Mary Jo Putney: “Writers are introverted and insecure.”
I’m a little insulted by that. I [...]

New York Times bestseller Vicki Pettersson, who is working on her fourth book, spoke at the Surrey International Writers’ Conference about self-sabotage, goals and habits.
Outwardly, Pettersson looks like a writing success. But, like most writers, she struggles with motivation, time, and energy. She doesn’t feel totally successful…
“I just feel like I’m failing forward,” says Pettersson. [...]