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17 Super-Useful Posts About Story Ideas, Article Writing, Interviews, and Editors

Carol Tice

story ideas equal moneyEver wondered why article writers often get paid more than bloggers?

Well, here’s something interesting that just happened to me that explains why I keep encouraging writers to learn reporting: I did a Google search on a term, and got some results…and then a section of results labeled “In-depth Articles.”

Article writing is the future. More businesses will be paying for it, online magazines are springing up — the lucrative opportunities for writers who can develop a great idea, do a sharp interview, and weave it into a compelling story are growing like mad.

We’ve also got article writing on the brain around here because of an upcoming writing class I’ll be teaching with Linda Formichelli — we’re giving out some free article-writing trainings to celebrate that right now, if you haven’t seen. (Editor’s Note: The free resources have expired.)

For more article-writing help, I thought I’d help you ring in the New Year with a roundup of the most useful posts ever seen on this blog about article writing. Enjoy!

Story Ideas

1. 5 Unusual Places to Find Great Story Ideas by Sally Ashworth

2. The Easy Story Idea Sale That Few Writers Think to Pitch

3. Here’s Why Your Article Idea Isn’t Getting You $1 a Word

4. How to Get an Editor to Buy Your Unsalable Story Idea by Linda Formichelli

5. Never Run Out of Story Ideas by Asking This Quick Question

Interviews

6. 7 Stress-Busting Interview Secrets from a Successful Freelance Writer

7. 10 Killer Interview Tips for Amazing Articles

8.  When Your Interview Source is a Total Blowhard: 5 Survival Tips

Article Writing

9.  5 Telltale Signs of Lazy Article Writing – Avoid These Blunders

10.  How I Wrote a $2,000 Freelance Article in 1 Week Flat

11.  How to Get Over Your Paralyzing Article Writing Fears

12.  How to Make Absolutely Sure Your Article Gets Killed by Linda Formichelli

13. The Trick to Writing Business Profiles So They Aren’t Sleazy PR

Working with Editors

14. 5 Simple Ways to Build Great Writer-Editor Relationships by Mary Davis

15. 7 Types of Articles That Editors Hate and Don’t Want to Pay You For

16. How to Get Twice as Many Article Assignments When Your Editor Leaves

17. Why Editors Don’t Respond to Your Query

Hope these give you a quick shot of learning that ups your article writing knowledge!

 

How to Make Money Writing: 113 Grow-Big Actions to Earn More

How to Make Money Writing: 113 Grow-Big Actions to Earn More

Long ago, I came up with a list of ways working freelancers can grow their writing income. If you’ve been wondering how to make money writing—serious money, that is—this list is for you. If you’re a newbie, you’ll find plenty of useful suggestions here, too.

Fire Up Your First Draft: 10 Time-Saving Ways to Boost Writing Speed

Fire Up Your First Draft: 10 Time-Saving Ways to Boost Writing Speed

The Blazing-Fast Way to Boost Writing Speed. Makealivingwriting.com

Are you struggling to boost your writing speed?

You’re not alone. Cranking out a first draft is agony for many freelance writers. It can kill your productivity and suck the joy out of your work. But it doesn’t have to be that way.

I used to hate first drafts, too. I could sweat for hours over one paragraph. Hours! My writing speed was so terrible, I even quit freelance writing for a while. Don’t do that, OK?

When I came back to freelance writing after a long break, I had a new attitude-and a new skill set. I learned how to triple my writing speed. I’m happier, I’m a better writer, and I make more money in less time.

No matter how slow, scared, and perfectionistic you are, you can light up your first-draft writing speed.

It’s not a mysterious, magical gift. It’s a skill, just like knowing where to put the commas or how to pitch an editor. And the better you get at it, the more you can earn.

Ready to fire up your first-draft writing speed? Check out these ten tips to write faster.

7 Reasons Why Writing Killer Headlines Will Change Your Life

Whose responsibility is writing killer headlines anyway? In the old days of journalism, headlines may have been left up to the copy editor to determine but in this digital day and age, writers should pay as much attention as possible to coming up with hooky headlines...