No matter how long you’ve been writing, everyone is prone to feeling “stuck” sometimes. If you can’t come up with a topic you’re interested in, or if a subject isn’t coming naturally to you, there’s always one niche you can turn to – controversial issues.
Controversial topics can inspire you and help you feel more passionate about your writing. [Read more…]
Of all the marketing trends that will impact content marketing strategies, storytelling is one people still struggle with. If marketers are struggling to tell a literal story with a piece of content, it’s easy to get caught up in unnecessary Alice-and-Bob characters and backstory.
But all a good story really needs is a character with a goal, obstacles in the way, and a solid plot structure. Convenient, then, that in marketing content you’re writing for a targeted reader with a problem who needs solving.
Structure is a key part of most storytelling. You’ll probably have heard of the three-act structure Hollywood film scripts are written to follow. But in this article, we’ll go over how the five-act structure, and a strong sense of character, might serve you better.
How many times have you been reading an article, only to realize halfway through that they haven’t got to the point yet? Hundreds and hundreds of words of complex jargon, all while dancing around the real meaning – there’s nothing more frustrating!
As long as consumers continue using tech devices and digital platforms to gain access to products, services, and other information, there will always be a need for online content. That’s great news for freelance writers who often rely on gigs developing blog posts, web content, newsletters, and more. Unfortunately, the increased demand for quality writers has created an unprecedented amount of competition. If you’re going to stand out, you must continue looking for opportunities to evolve. [Read more…]
As every aspiring novelist knows, coming up with the ‘big’ ideas is the easy part. But, unfortunately, developing your scribbled notebook entries into a fleshed-out story with believable characters isn’t quite so simple. [Read more…]
As a writer, your website is your own personal space to write about virtually anything you want. But, writers who want to find success in freelancing typically write about things that other people can relate to as well. With over 500 million blogs on the web, being able to compete is important if you want to write for a living. [Read more…]
You know that feeling. You check your word count and you still have several hundred words to go before you can finish an article. Or you’re trying to write a report for school, and you just can’t find the next sentence. It’s called writer’s block. You might have seen an exaggerated version in The Shining or Barton Fink. The important thing to remember is that writer’s block happens, but it’s usually not the end of the world. [Read more…]
by FWJ 5 Comments
Whether you write website copy, e-books, magazine articles or blog posts, there’s plenty of competition out there. Upwork, the world’s largest online marketplace, has 12 million registered freelancers and (at the time of writing) 15,861 writing jobs available. Not all 12 million of those freelancers are writers, but enough of them are to ensure that competition for each writing job is fierce. And that’s just on one single site. [Read more…]
Writing about highly technical topics is challenging in many ways. In addition to learning a brand new subject, it forces you to follow strict guidelines that typically aren’t present when tackling more generalized writing projects. Whereas you might be able to take a few shortcuts when writing on a well-known topic, there’s no room for oversimplification in technical writing.
But every now and then, you’re going to encounter a client who operates in a very specific vertical that you know nothing about. Every word must be carefully chosen and each sentence must be crafted with the reader in mind. How you handle these clients will have a big impact on whether you’re able to retain them.
How to Write Outstanding Technical Content Even If You're Not an Expert Click To Tweetby FWJ 5 Comments
When you’re a freelance writer, you may often be paid by the word or per project rather than by the hour. This means the faster you can write, the more you’ll make for your time.
But moving faster can result in low-quality writing, which can eventually put you out of a job. Quality in your content is critical, but that doesn’t mean you can’t adjust your speed. You might even find that your writing improves alongside your time if you use some of the tried and true speed strategies below. [Read more…]
