Guest Blogger Writing Tip #1: Planning

No matter what you are writing, or how many words you have, you always need to plan. Outlining, pre-writing, even brainstorming is a key to making the writing process easier. You would not plan a driving trip without looking at a map. You should not starting writing, without knowing not only what you are writing, but where your writing is going to go.

About Richard Iorio: Since 1996, Richard has been a freelance writer and designer and has written for Atlas Games, Guardians of Order, Hogshead Publishing, and Zeitgeist Games (just to name a few). Currently, Richard is the Operations Manager for Goodman Games, as well as the co-owner and co-founder of Rogue Games, Inc.

May 14, 2007
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Freelance Writing Tip #11: Categorize Professional Advice

Even though you’re smart enough to tell good advice from bad—professional advice can work against you if you’re inexperienced. Professionals are providing invaluable insight based on their experiences spanning a great number of years and publications. If you’re just starting out, though, keep in mind that when they were a “new writer” the industry was completely different and conventional wisdom may not apply. Remember that professionals’ experiences are as widely varied as your own; so the best thing to do is to be respectful, listen, and have fun learning about their writing.

May 11, 2007
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Freelance Writing Tip #10: Understand Your Market

If you’re writing for a Christian magazine, or you’re publishing flash fiction for a horror site, it’s important to not only know what you write, but what others are writing as well. Understanding whatever market you’ve immersed yourself in can be vital to your goals. Some of your understanding will, no doubt, come from your own experiences, but don’t be afraid to ask questions from established writers, educators, and folks in that sector. The faster you learn your market, the less chance you’ll have of making costly mistakes.

May 10, 2007
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Freelance Writing Tip #9: Track Your Income & Expenses

Whether you’ve set yourself up as an independent contractor or an LLC, you’ll need to track your financial progress throughout the year. If you can’t afford to hire a bookkeeper, a well-designed spreadsheet is a great budgeting tool. Quicken and QuickBooks can help you stay organized as well; PayPal can help you receive income quickly and safely. Regardless of how savvy you are, if you stay organized tax time and budgeting will be painless.

May 9, 2007
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Freelance Writing Tip #8: Think You’re a Writer? Write!

Many, many people claim to be a writer. They say they’ve written a book, hidden in their attic, or they say that they published a poem four years ago that rivals Emily Dickinson’s Poems. No matter how you sugar-coat it, you can’t really call yourself a writer if you don’t write on a consistent basis. Writing isn’t like riding a bike; the only way you get any writing done, and improve your writing, is if you write a little bit every day whether you’re writing-for-hire or writing for yourself. So what are you waiting for? Get writing today!

May 8, 2007
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