Creative Writing, Main

How to Make Money With Creative Writing

If you are a creative writer, then there is good news for you when it comes to finding writing jobs that will support your creative writing career.

Nowadays with the uptake of online writing and the fact that businesses need to have a presence on websites and social media, the need for creative writers has substantially grown, meaning that if you want to build on your writing skills and are focused on making money online either through freelance writing gigs or with full-time creative writing jobs, you have way more options than you used to.

Today, we will discuss the different ways to make money online so that you can not only earn money to pay for your day-to-day life, but you can also build on your creative writing skills that can help you advance your career.

Freelance Writers

A lot of writers who are looking at job boards for work will be freelance writers, this means that they are not tied to one company and are free to take multiple jobs that can broaden their creative writing spectrum.

They can either be hired as a contractor, just for a one-off writing job, or they can be given regular work, e.g. two articles per month, but only as and when they want to.

What Are Their Options?

Being a freelance writer can be ideal for creative writers who don’t want to be stuck in one writing niche and would like to incorporate a lot of different industries into their backgrounds to build on their skills.

They have the option to expand on their writing and go into a variety of niches that they can build their portfolio with, e.g. business writing, fiction writing, technical writing, and so on.

Some freelance writers may be focused on their own personal work such as writing novels, which they do through self-publishing, taking part in writing contests, or they can run their own blog and make passive income through sponsorships and affiliate links.

There is a lot that freelance writers can do, but the same can be said for creative writers who are looking to make money writing with full-time jobs.

How to Make Money With Creative Writing

No matter what type of writer you are, what your writing style is, or what target audience you have settled on, there will be ways that you can write online and make money that way.

Below, we are going to discuss a variety of different ways to make money through your creative writing, so hopefully, you will be able to either make a start in this business or build on what you already have.

Start a Blog

It is a very easy one to get started, but creating your own blog can really make a difference and help you reach many people across the internet who can hopefully enjoy your writing style and appreciate what you are writing about.

When you become a blogger, you need to be dedicated to what you do and how you do it.

It is no use being inconsistent with your postings.

How are your followers going to know what you are doing if you can’t settle on a plan for when you post and how much you post?

It can drive people away if they think that you aren’t taking it seriously, and you won’t be able to generate the income you want from it if you don’t really put your heart and soul into it.

Think About What You Need

Before you charge ahead and start your blog, there are things that you will need to consider first, for example, you need to know what your niche is so you know what you will be writing about.

You also need to pick a domain, design your blog, and set up a schedule for when you want to post and how frequently you plan on doing it.

You can find free templates online for your blog and use software to help you with managing your schedule.

Keep at it

Once you have it all set up, now is the time to put the wheels in motion and put yourself on the map for people to know who you are.

Set up social media accounts to keep your followers up to date on postings, and talk to your followers so you can start up a dialogue with them and get their opinion on things.

You won’t be an overnight success, as mentioned before, you just need to keep at it and work consistently to push yourself up.

It will take time, but if this is a passion of yours then it will be worth it.

Do Guest Blogging

To help you with making a name for yourself, you can also look at writing guest posts for other blogs to help with your visibility.

You can work out a payment system for any guest blogs you do and put the word out there that you are available for guest posts for any other bloggers.

This can also help you expand on your niche so you are not pigeonholed into one type of writing.

This will help you when you are searching for jobs and want to get your foot in the door for online writing jobs.

Self-Publish a Book

You may have a really good story inside you but you have not been able to get it out there.

Traditional publishing avenues have not panned out and you are fed up with being rejected by big publishers all because you are not already established.

One of the best things with the online world springing forward is that now, people who want to publish a book can do so through their own website.

Selling through platforms such as Amazon and other sites without having to go through a publishing house, makes it easier for new writers who are just trying to get their big break.

Do Your Research

Before you dive into self-publishing, you will need to look into how you can do it and what the best platform would be for you to put your book on.

It is All on You

It can be tough as you are doing everything yourself, it all falls down to you such as the design of the book, font size, colors, and so on.

You will need to be prepared to get this done.

It will be frustrating, but if you are determined and you want to publish your book for people to read, then you are going to need to go through this process.

You May or May Not Turn a Profit

When it comes to you doing your own publishing, you need to know that you might not get a profit from your book.

There are no guarantees that this will happen, but if you are cautious and you read up on what you need to with self-publishing, then you might be able to get money back and earn enough to create your next book.

Write Scripts For Video Content

If you are adept at writing scripts, then you may find that you can find a lot of jobs out there that focus solely on scriptwriters whether it is for a small YouTube channel or something a little bigger.

Not all video creators will have good writing skills so they need to bring actual writers in to help them with creating a script that they can work with.

It Has Become Quite Popular

Writing scripts for videos has grown a lot over the years, especially with the fact that we have more platforms for people to reach out on, and videos seem to be the thing that catches people’s attention most of the time, for example, influencers use Instagram Reels for promotion.

Look on Job Boards

Online you will find advertisements for freelance script writers or contract writers, or you can reach out to creators yourself with your portfolio to show them that you are available for work.

Make Content For Local Businesses

If you know a local business that needs help with bringing up their traffic online and promoting their content to people in their area, then you can help them with their standing on social media as well as write articles or blog posts for them if they need it.

You don’t just have to stick to online work with them, you could also branch out into writing for their leaflets or brochures to hand out when they are physically advertising.

You Can Find More Work

Helping them out can also be a great way for you to network with other businesses by showing them what you can do for the local community, which can help you be hired by other businesses for your writing skills.

Create Guides

When people go on vacation and explore new places, they often rely on guidebooks or pamphlets for information. If you know your local area well, consider creating a guide to help visitors navigate and discover hidden gems.

You can turn this knowledge into a good business by creating pamphlets, travel booklets, and flyers, which you can easily source from companies offering services for flyer printing in Evanston, IL (if this is where you reside). You can then sell your guidebooks to a travel magazine. It can be a great way to share your insights with travelers and make money.

Create Greeting Cards

If you have a knack for writing funny or sweet words, then you may find a home in writing greeting cards for a whole range of people and events.

Writing poetry is also part of the greeting card world, so you can submit your poems to be put in greeting cards if you wish, you never know, they may get accepted.

Look online for companies that accept submissions of your work and see if what you write can be accepted, you could do it as a sideline job to earn some extra money whilst still working full-time or freelance on other projects.

Copywriting

Copywriters do a lot for businesses, they not only write articles and blog posts but they also write on websites, emails, whitepapers, job descriptions, etc., anything that helps with promotion and marketing.

It is important that copywriters write content that drives people to action and gets them to buy products or check something out.

Companies will hire freelance copywriters or they will use agencies to get the help they need.

There are quite a lot of copywriting freelance jobs available, you can check websites such as Indeed which will have a whole range in a variety of niches.

Conclusion

After reading through this post, hopefully, you now know how to make money writing online and you have a few more ideas that you can research to see if you can try them out.

Creative Writing, Main

Edit As You Go, Or All Once Done: What To Know

Editing one’s work as one goes along allows for the possibility of catching mistakes before they get too far along. However, this method has some drawbacks. With the first draft being finished at the end of the day, it can be difficult to get back to it once a week and continue editing. Also, as one progresses, revision becomes more and more difficult since it’s harder to track down mistakes and fix them on the fly.

Many of us are familiar with software like Scrivener, TextEdit, and NisusWriter, which lets us continue working on a project while leaving the writing for later. This lets us experiment with a scene or chapter without worrying about disrupting the storyline.

To ensure you get your edits done, you may have to use a certain number of tools. Editor, spellcheck, grammar checker, and a thesaurus are just a few. But more importantly, you’ll need to know how to use them and how to make the most of them. Presented here are a few points you should know about using grammar and spellcheck.

There are two basic approaches to writing: edit as you go (or “EAG”) and edit your work once you’re done. Some writers use EAG because they believe it’s faster, but in reality, it’s not. The reasons are many and varied.

When you’re writing a book or article, you’re not limited to just one specific point of view — you can give your readers many different ways to experience your story. Making choices about how you write about your story doesn’t mean you should limit yourself to what you think is the “best” way to write. No single way will work for everyone.

If you are a writer, you know that every word needs to be carefully thought out. When it is time to edit or post a piece, you need to be able to look at it through a different lens. You need to know that you are writing, not editing. You need to write as you go. You can get really good at this, but you will have to make adjustments along the way. Sometimes you will stumble over a word and wonder if you can fix it. Other times, you will have to write the entire thing over again. If you are writing as you go, you will know what you need to do, and you can edit or rewrite as you need to.

There are lots of different ways to write; some are more formal, and some rely on a more informal style. There are lots of websites that offer advice on how to be a better writer. Some of it is likely to be good and some not so much, but the point is, you can find a lot of content about writing. I have been writing since I was a kid and have learned a lot along the way. The thing is, there is no way to become a great writer from books, as there is no guarantee that you will have the same level of talent as the writer you are reading about. 

Editing your work once you are done is a crucial step in any writing process. In fact, the importance of editing for any writer cannot be overstated. It is so important that some writing guides even recommend getting your work edited before you submit it to a publishing house. It could be that the editor is offering valuable advice on the editing process or that some writers have a bad editor, and their work would benefit from an extra pair of eyes. 

Editing is a monumental challenge for any writer, and there are many ways to approach the job. If you’re a “copy and paste” kind of person, you can wait until you’re done and then do your final touches from a word processor. Some prefer to work on individual sentences and paragraphs as they go. The biggest advantage to this approach is the speed it lets you work and that you have a record of your progress.

Creative Writing, Main

How to Start Writing a Blog

Blogging is a great way to get your online content out there and start building up a following. With that in mind, this post will teach you the basics of starting a blog. You will learn the steps to take to build a solid blog that will allow you to increase your traffic and generate revenue.

As we live in a society, people are categorized in various boxes. Some people are dreamers while others are artists. There are comedians, musicians, writers, actors, painters, directors, readers as well as critics. Some people become independent entrepreneurs, while a few others focus on building their small businesses. 

Writing is a hobby that many people want to get started with, but a lot of them find it difficult to start. I know this because I struggled with it for a long time. Hence, I found some things that worked for me and I’m going to share them with you.

It’s easy to get started with blogging. You just need a blog, some writing skills, and a little desire to start posting about your thoughts, experiences, and anything else that you wish to add to the world of words. However, I would like to tell you that becoming a blogger does not come easily. There is so much that you will have to learn, including how to write, structure and format the posts in the best way possible, and run a website.

For many, the idea of starting a blog may seem quite daunting and intimidating. But if you’re just starting out, there are a few things you should know. First of all, start with something simple. A clean, feature-light blog is a great place to start. Make your content easy to read as it’ll make it easier for the readers to understand. Secondly, don’t let the big idea scare you. You don’t need to write a novel right away. Start with one, or at most two posts. You can always go back and add more later if your muse strikes. And third, if you want to make your blog successful, it’s important that you have a social media presence. You can add a widget button to your blog to do this.

Blogs are a great way to share your thoughts and opinions. But how do you go about starting a blog and writing your first post? There are several steps involved in starting a blog, but you can start by getting your website up and running. Once you’ve got your site up, choose a topic you’re passionate about. This type of blog is called a one-person blog, and it’s a great way to share your thoughts, feelings, and experiences.

Writing a blog is a lot like writing a book, except that it’s online. You might be thinking that it’s too hard to start writing a blog. However, if you follow the steps in this article, you will be on your way to writing a great blog. Although blogging is not a hard skill, it does take time and effort. You may want to keep in mind that this is something that you are going to do daily for the foreseeable future. So, it is important that you love what you do.

If you’re reading this, chances are you’re interested in starting a blog and want to know how to go about doing it. But if you’re like most authors, you may not be sure about where to start. If you’re interested in writing fiction, you may want to start a story blog to keep you on track and develop your craft. If you’re writing nonfiction, you may want to start with a collection of tips and advice or start a blog about a topic that interests you. 

There are quite a few things that you’ll need to start writing a blog, but one of the main things that you need to keep in mind is to have a goal. Before you write your first post, you should know exactly how you want to use it. You can use your blog for any purpose, but if you’re serious about writing, you’ll need to start with a specific goal.

 

Creative Writing, Main

Pros And Cons of Traditional Publishing

Traditional publishers are coming up against a major problem: a huge gap between the amount of money they are making and their spending on marketing. When it comes to mastering the art of writing, most writers have no idea how to go about it. They think that writing is about solving a problem, but this is not the case. It’s about thinking— thinking about your readers. Think about what you want to say. This requires a point of view. That is where your voice will come from. 

This article will explore the pros and cons of traditional publishing and explain why traditional authors can be helped by working with a book publishing company. 

Pros

  • You will have a literary agent support

While it’s easy to think of the book publishing industry as a monolithic entity, it’s far more complex and varied than that. There are many different options for getting your book published, from independent authors to small presses to major publishers. And in many ways, that’s what makes it fun as a writer. Many authors are thinking of publishing their works with traditional publishers and it’s a good idea to do so. But the way traditional publishers work is different from the way self-publishing authors do things. We will discuss this and give you some tips and advice.

  • You can have a publishing team

There are many things to consider when choosing a publisher for your book. However, there are a few things that matter more than bringing a manuscript to life. Anyone who has picked up a book can attest that writing a book is tough. The process is constantly evolving, from the brainstorming and drafting process to the final edits and publishing. For the author, the good news is that most publishing companies these days allocate the proper number of staff to complete the book well in advance. This can give the author a sense of security that their book is well-handled from start to finish.

  • You may get cash advances

With many aspiring authors turning to self-publishing to bring their work to publication, there are a lot of misconceptions about how the process works. The reality is that those who sign with prestigious publishers will likely get paid in installments over the course of a year, not all at once. 

Some authors choose to take this as a sign that they should quit writing and go find a good job, while others believe that it is absolutely necessary to live comfortably while writing a book. 

Cons

  • You may get lower royalty rates

Over the past decade, the self-publishing market has grown quite a bit. So much so that now there are countless official and self-published authors competing for the same readers. With that in mind, how do traditionally-published authors fare when compared to their self-published counterparts? The answer is, unfortunately, not as well. If you are an author who wants to publish your book, there are two ways to do it—traditional and self-pub. Self-publishing is the easier of the two, but you may be surprised how little money it actually makes.

  • You may get loss of creative control

Many writers today are afraid to put their work out there. They’re scared to send their manuscript to publishers, or they’re too timid to release their work through traditional publishing routes. Instead, they choose to self-publish their work, which many do not understand. When they hit their target audience, they will be bombarded with a flood of marketing messages, replete with sales pitches, that can often make it difficult to sell their work.

All too often, the publishing industry, traditionally a realm of books with a traditional cover, paper cover, and even a traditional cover, is becoming a monolithic corporation with a single label on both the cover and the back cover, and a single model of how books are sold to the consumer. There is no longer any room for individuality, and a writer is lucky to have any say in their book’s title, back cover blurb, or even where it will be stocked in bookstores.

Creative Writing, Main

Best Software to Use for Writing

We can’t always rely on just the software when it comes to writing. You need to write in various ways and with a variety of tools to produce better work. There are some great software applications out there that are perfect for the purpose. When you’re writing a blog post, you would want it to be as good as possible, and the ideal way to do that is with the right software. Fortunately, there are a bunch of good programs out there, but we will focus on a few. So here are the best softwares to use for writing:

Google Docs

If a lot of experienced people say that you need to use Word (or Google Docs) for writing, you should take their advice seriously. Using one of these services is far more efficient than using Word because it allows you to write, edit, and edit again without having to save and re-save your work. It also allows you to view your document in its full glory while still having the ability to make handwritten notes, which makes editing tasks a cinch.

Freedom

Freedom is a writing app that lets you free your mind. You don’t need to worry about writing with a specific app, as you can use any text editor, and Freedom will do the rest of the work for you. You can also do different things with your writing, like making it readable to the human eye, and so on. This app is the easiest way to turn your manuscripts into beautifully printed books.

Publisher Rocket

If you’re a writer, or you want to become one, chances are, you might have thought of writing for your own blog. But you might not be sure about where to publish your work or what software you should use. Well, there are many writing tools out there, some free, some expensive, some good, and some not so good. But there’s one that stands out above the rest: Publisher Rocket. Publisher Rocket is a combination of blog and publishing tools. It’s an easy-to-use blog that takes care of all the technical details involved in turning your posts into beautiful blogs on your website. In addition to blogging, Publisher Rocket is a publishing tool that lets you publish your blog posts efficiently.

Evernote

The Evernote app has been available on Android for a while now. Since the app is free, it is a great way to take a jotting and organize them into one place. I like to use Evernote to keep a diary on my phone so I can look back on it using my PC or my mobile and add more information to it.

Apple Pages

Apple’s Pages app is a mobile word processor that lets you create and edit simple documents, spreadsheets and presentations. It supports a number of formatting styles, including Markdown, and a simple yet versatile text editor. The app also includes a host of presentation-related features, such as the ability to easily add in images and embed videos, similar to what you’d expect from a program like PowerPoint.

Adobe Creative Cloud

Alongside the launch of the new Creative Cloud desktop app, Adobe has announced the launch of new tools that bring the power of Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator to more of your devices and cloud services. It is Adobe’s professional and aspiring writer products suite. There’s Adobe’s Creative Suite for professional writers, which includes products like Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign. A few months ago, Adobe updated Creative Cloud to include a new photography app called Photoshop Mix, which lets you apply real-time adjustments to images in the same way you might adjust them in Photoshop. The new app is on by default, and I really like it.

It is important to remember that the best software for writing doesn’t always mean the best software for you. You’ll need to evaluate the individual needs of your writing process and choose a package that best fits your goals.

Creative Writing, Main

Pros and Cons Of Self Publishing

Self publishing is a great way to make money and get your work out to the world without the need for a big publisher. As a writer and an expert in the industry, I know the benefits and pitfalls of self publishing. Self-publishing a book is a subjective topic, and not everyone will agree on why it’s a good idea or not. This is where blogging comes in – it’s a perfect forum for people to discuss their reasons for wanting to self-publish. And here are the pros and cons of self publishing:

Pros

  • You have the creative control

It’s ironic, but self-publishing can actually be a good thing. The traditional publishing world is full of gatekeepers who will have opinions on the content, book cover, and even the title of your book. Indie publishing allows you to have complete control over your new books. Self-publishing route can be an appealing option for people who want total autonomy in their writing career.

Self-publishing has become a popular choice for authors in recent years; over the last 3 years, the number of e-book sales has grown by a whopping 70%. Authors no longer have to rely on a major publisher to get their book published and instead have full control of their own publications. If you have a book idea, you can create a professional-looking book cover, edit and proofread your work, and sell your e-book on Amazon or Barnes & Noble, or any of the other popular e-book sites.

  • You will have the higher royalty rates

There are folks who argue that you should only self-publish when you have written multiple books, but they are wrong. The simple truth is that writing a book is a hell of a lot easier than promoting it. You don’t have to pay for a publicist, you don’t need to deal with a publishing company’s requirements, and you don’t have to worry about whether or not you’re doing a good job. One of the biggest mistakes new writers make is not realizing that publishing a book can be financially rewarding and can be done at a reasonable cost. Publishing a book may seem expensive, but the truth is that it actually costs money to publish a book. In order to publish a book, you need to buy the rights to publish a book, pay a publisher to edit, design, and print the book, hire a marketing team, and of course, sell the book.

Cons

  • It may have less visibility

Let’s start with the cons. Your book is not going to sell as many copies as it would have if a traditional publishing house published it. While this is not necessarily a bad thing, you’ll have to work to promote your book and get it discovered by readers. Also, since the book is self-published, you’ll have limited access to some of the traditional publishers’ resources, such as marketing services and editorial guidance. If you’ve written a book on a niche subject, it may not be as accessible to readers as a book written by a known author.

The dream for many authors is to become a bestseller in every household. In order to publish your own book, you need to be a published author, and this will take time. There are many ways to get a traditional publishing contract, but some authors decide to self-publish and bypass the traditional publishing route. There are many reasons why self-publishing can be a better option than traditional publishing, but it protects you from the risk of the traditional publishing industry going bust.

  • It may have a higher cost

Self-Published Book Is A Business. You are responsible for the business of publishing your book. That means you need to promote your book. You need to order ISBNs and handle the logistics. You need to market your book. That can be a lot of work. So much work that some authors decide they are better off finding a publisher than publishing it themselves. 

While there are many benefits to self-publishing, there are also many misconceptions. For example, many people believe that self-publishing means self-publishing at a loss or free when it comes to the cost of all the services involved in publishing a book. In reality, most self-published books end up paying for those costs at some point.

Creative Writing, Main

How to Structure a Story

A story is an assortment of events that move the plot forward. These events should be completely independent, and each one should have a strong beginning and end, followed by a cause and effect relationship. The plot is the sequence of these events. Audiences need a good plot to engage their imagination in the story, so they can easily follow the plot.

Our life story is a complex one, and there are many different directions we could take it. We could do some serious research on the best way to structure a story and then write a book. We could go back to school to get a degree in writing and then use that to write a novel. Or, we could just wing it and hope for the best.

A story has three parts: setting, plot, and climax.

  • The setting is the time and place you are writing about. 
  • The plot is the story you tell. 
  • The climax is the most exciting part of the story, often when the main character does something hugely significant.

Understanding Story structure

A story has a plot, a beginning, a middle, and an end. While plot and characters drive the story, structure keeps the story on track. Before you write a story, think about the beginning, the middle, and the end of the story and how you want to tell it. This helps keep your story on track and makes it easier for you to write. A Story is a narrative in which a protagonist experiences an emotional response, usually a conflict, from a series of physical or emotional events that move the story forward.

Different Types of Story Structures

  • A three-act structure

For centuries, artists have been creating stories that follow a three-act structure. Act 1 is the setup or exposition. Act 2 is the rise and fall of the main character, and Act 3 is the climax, as well as the resolution. The rise and fall part of the story can be just as important as the climax. You can’t have a climax without a buildup or a failure before the climax. You can’t have a setup without an exposition or a rise and fall.

  • A hero’s journey

Every story has an underlying structure that determines how it progresses. The hero’s journey is a recurring pattern of events that is present in nearly every story. The following points can summarize these events (and their progression): First, the hero is not the same person in all stories. Their actions and experiences are interpreted as the consequences of their decisions. Secondly, the hero’s journey is experienced as a series of actions to a destination. Finally, the hero’s journey is completed when the hero crosses a threshold, either literally or metaphorically.

  • A snowflake method

If you’re new to writing, you may have never heard of the Snowflake method. But if you’ve tried to write a novel before and got stuck, you may want to give this some attention. It’s a technique that helps you organize your novel; it’s named after the way snowflakes fall. Snowflakes are some of the most beautiful creatures in nature, but they’re also some of the most fragile. The same can be said for the Snowflake method, which helps you organize your novel efficiently.

  • A Freytag’s pyramid

This pyramid is a diagram that is used to describe the common elements in stories. It is named after a German writer, Gustav Freytag, who created the pyramid in 1835. The story pyramid can be used to help writers gain an understanding of the main elements that are used to create a story. Freytag’s pyramid happens to be among the most famous examples of a basic story structure. Freytag’s pyramid is a story structure that consists of an introduction, rising conflict, climax, and falling action. The outline is designed to be as simple as possible, and it’s used when you’re working on a short story, novel, or play. It’s named after E. T. A. Hoffmann, who first proposed it.

Story structures, such as the introduction, body, and conclusion, are some of the most important parts of a narrative. They are there to make sure your writing is clear and organized, give the reader a clear idea of what you’re trying to say, and provide a foundation for the rest of your writing.