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Writing Ideas Tank Empty? 9 Brainstorming Hacks for Writers
Feeling like your writing ideas tank is empty?
It usually looks something like this…
You’re staring at a blank screen trying to come up with a blog post idea.
You’ve spent the better part of a day typing a few lines, then deleting them.
And it seems like there’s a sinister voice inside your head mocking every attempt you make.
“You don’t have any good writing ideas. Why bother?”
Followed by maniacal laughter, of course. Bawhahahaha!
If you’re struggling to come up with writing ideas, you’re not alone. It happens. But that void in your brain doesn’t have to stay empty for long.
There’s just no reason to be wasting days, weeks, months or even years thinking: I don’t have any good writing ideas to make money.
The truth is…there’s an unlimited supply of writing ideas out there in every niche, and for every type of client, magazine, or business. You just need to know where to find them.
Ready to brainstorm some writing ideas? Check out these tips to fill your tank.
How to Sell Your Book: 5 Launch Secrets from a Pro Writer
Wondering how to sell your book?
You’ve put in countless hours of writing to finish your book.
You put it through the sometimes-painful process of editing and rewriting. Then more editing.
Slap a cover on your book. List it on Amazon. And voilà , your book is selling like crazing and rising up the ranks. Right?
Ahem…Self-publishing isn’t all rainbows and unicorns.
As the author of more than 30 books, I can tell you with absolute confidence, it doesn’t work like that.
Finishing a book is a massive undertaking, and you should absolutely celebrate this win.
But you aren’t done yet.
If you want to actually sell your book-this book you poured your time and heart into-then the work has just begun.
A successful book launch is crucial to get your book into the hands of your readers.
Preparation is key. The more time you invest in planning your book launch, the more success you’ll have.
Here’s the thing…too many new authors scramble into action without a book launch plan. And then nobody buys. But it doesn’t have to be that way.
Check out my best launch tips to help you sell more books.
Writing at Home? 7 Time-Saving Tips from a Productivity Expert
Let’s face it. When you’re writing at home, there’s potential for distractions, time wasters, and lost productivity.
Kids, laundry, dirty dishes. Without a boss looking over your shoulder, there’s potential for getting sucked into a digital diet of social media when you’re supposed to be writing at home.
And then there’s days spent rolling around on the floor, doubting your skills, wasting valuable time you could spend on writing and marketing.
Sound familiar?
Even the most successful freelance writers have their own stories to tell about writer’s block, self-doubt, and time-wasting activities that get in the way of writing at home and making money.
Are you programmed to fail? Are you better off working a 9-to-5 where someone tells you what to do every minute of the day? Or are there some things you can do to boost productivity and be more creative to make a living writing?
Ready to take a closer look at what’s going on inside your head? Check out these time-saving tips from the guy who wrote the book Productivity for Creative People.
Freelance Writing Jobs: 21 Pubs That Pay Tech-Savvy Writers
Looking for freelance writing jobs in your niche?
If you can write about technology, finance, or the rise of the fintech niche, we’ve got news for you.
From big companies to start-ups, there’s a massive amount of freelance writing jobs out there, especially if you know how to translate tech talk into reader-friendly copy.
It’s a HUGE niche that ultimately impacts every field you can think of including education, banking and finance, medicine, construction and real estate, ecommerce, digital marketing, even agriculture, and more.
Think about it. How often do businesses and people use smartphones, computers, and digital devices? A lot. And they all have at least one thing in common…technology.
Do you have the chops to write about technology, software, finance, and other tech topics?
Or maybe you’ve been thinking about breaking into this niche. Give it a shot. Tech and finance are lucrative niches for freelance writing jobs.
Ready to connect with editors and marketing directors to pitch your services or submit a well-written query for a magazine assignment?
Check out these 21 tech pubs to find freelance writing jobs.
Pitch Letter Checklist for Writers: 5 Simple Steps to Get Noticed
What’s it take to get your pitch letter to stand out?
You know…you find the perfect prospect in your niche, write a pitch letter, hit send, and then…nothing.
That ever happen to you?
If you’re trying to move up, earn more, and get freelance writing clients, the pitch letter is one of the best ways to make it happen.
Sending out a lot of pitch letters (aim for 100 a month), especially when you’re starting out is a smart goal. Think of it like the Hunger Games…”May the odds be ever in your favor.”
So you’re gung-ho about sending out pitches? That deserves a virtual fist-bump for enthusiasm.
But if your pitch letter sucks, it’s a recipe for frustration, next-to-zero-responses, and not enough prospects and clients lined up to make a living writing. Sound familiar?
I’ve seen it hundreds of times inside the Freelance Writers Den where writers submit their pitch letters for review.
You’ve done the work to identify a solid prospect, but your pitch letter is primed to trigger some editor’s primal instinct to hit the Delete button. And that’s not what you want.
Want to learn how to write a pitch letter that gets noticed? Follow these simple steps.
What Does a Copywriter Do? In 7 Super-Simple Steps
You may have heard that sales copywriting is where the money’s at, for freelance writers. But maybe you’ve only written blog posts or articles, and feel nervous that you wouldn’t know how to pull off sales copywriting. I often get asked, ‘What does a copywriter do?’
Also:
‘Are there any good books I can read, to become a sales copywriter?’
A: No. I have nothing to recommend there. Learning writing out of books is extremely ineffective, especially when your goal is to have freelance clients.
You can’t learn how to interact with and please clients from a book. You can only learn it by working with clients.
Luckily, sales copywriting is something you can easily learn on the job. Grab any struggling small business and offer to help them pro bono.
Then, use the 7 simple principles below to rapidly become a crack copywriter. Note: For purposes of this post, when I say ‘copywriting,’ I mean sales writing, not all the informational content we write for businesses.
Freelance Marketing: 5 Meet-Cute Ways to Get Hot Clients
Looking for a freelance marketing script to turn prospects into clients?
Go watch some rom-com.
For example, at the conclusion of When Harry Met Sally, there’s this memorable scene:
- Harry declares his love for Sally.
- They kiss.
- Cue Auld Lang Syne and slow dancing.
- Fade to black, and everyone is happy.
Wouldn’t it be nice if your freelance marketing efforts worked the same way?
Just send a pitch. Fire off a query letter. Write an LOI. And your proposed client will fall in love.
Fade to black, and you have oodles of work.
Well, things rarely work like they do in the movies. Or maybe they do…
“Harry” and “Sally” go through a series of meet-cutes, or phases in their relationship before they get together.
And that’s something you should pay close attention to if you want to be a successful freelance writer.
When you understand how client relationships develop (like the formula for a rom-com), your freelance marketing efforts can help you get noticed, move up, and earn more.
Want to know how to get hot clients to pay attention? Here’s what you need to know about the freelance marketing meet-cute.
Writing Conferences Online: 5 Ways They’re Fresh & Useful
What’s up with writing conferences during all this COVID-19 craziness?
Until the pandemic hit, writing conferences served as a smart place for writers to learn new skills and network with authors, agents and publishers for almost 100 years.
Now what? Some writing conferences have simply vanished, while others have deferred to 2021, because it’s too dangerous to meet in person right now.
But there’s another segment of conference organizers scrambling to formulate a replacement. Out of the woeful ashes of canceled hotel reservations and scrapped airline flights online writing conferences are emerging.
- But how does something like that even work?
- And why would freelancers want to attend an online event without the in-person benefits of traditional writing conferences?
Here’s the thing…In order for online writing conferences to succeed, organizers have to figure out new ways to make it worthwhile for everybody involved. And it’s happening.
If you’re a freelance writer in 2020, attending a new digital conference in the COVID-era may prove to be one of the best opportunities for you in years.
Thinking about attending an online writing conference? Here’s five big reasons to go online.
Business Writing: 11 Smart-Professor Lessons to Write Better
How do you get better at business writing?
You know…your new freelance client gives you a brief. You chat a few minutes about the project, ask questions, and get to work.
And then you have more questions, self doubt, maybe even writer’s block…
- How do you write faster?
- What software should you use?
- How do you submit error-free copy?
- Business formal or conversational style?
So many questions, your head starts to spin. Sound familiar?
How do you walk away from that client conversation with confidence you can handle their business writing project, deliver great content, and land more assignments?
The truth: It doesn’t happen overnight.
Think about it like learning to ride a bike. At first, it’s hard. Especially if you’re trying to figure it out on your own.
But you can dramatically speed up the process.
How? By learning from someone who knows the ropes, like a mentor, successful freelancer, and business writing professor.
Want to get better at business writing? Check out these smart lessons to move up and earn more.
Writer Trauma: Why You Can’t Send A Goodbye Email to Clients
Is past trauma making you earn less as a freelance writer? If you have toxic writing clients, but find it super-hard to send that goodbye email to clients and move on, new research may explain why.
Recently, I was sitting in one of my parent-support group meetings. We were learning about the impact of past trauma in our kiddos, and how it may play out in difficult behaviors we see now.
Our facilitator introduced a concept I’d never heard of before. And when I heard it, I sat straight up in my seat.
This idea didn’t just answer questions I had about why my husband’s response to some of our kids’ behaviors was so different from mine.
It solved the mystery of why some writers allow clients to walk all over them, while others of us have no problem setting healthy boundaries. And cutting loose clients who don’t pay us well, or treat us right.
For years, I ‘d known about fight, flight, and freeze as classic responses to threats. And how people with past trauma may use those responses inappropriately, in situations where they’re not really warranted.
But it turns out there’s one more, newly identified type of trauma response. One that may be messing up your writing business.
Black Writer Survival Guide: The Fight to Be a Freelancer in 2020
What’s it like to be a black writer?
When George Floyd died at the hands of Minneapolis police officers, it shined a light on racial issues and inequalities, justice for all, and basic human rights for everyone…including freelance writers.
But if you’re not a black writer, you don’t really know what the day-to-day experience is like.
Or maybe you’re wondering what to say, what to do, or how you can be part of the solution to support black writers and people of color.
So what’s it like to be a black writer, right now?
We reached out to freelance writer, journalist, and Make a Living Writing contributor Williesha Morris to weigh in on what it’s like to be a black writer.
“The black experience in any industry or in any context can be a grueling one,” says Williesha. “Often the pressure feels like so much more is expected of you. Being a black writer is no exception.”
And then a pandemic happens.
And then there’s a period of unrest and protests about violence against black people and people of color.
How do you make sense of it all?
If you’re a black writer or person of color, you’ve got to make some decisions about how to navigate your career.
And if you want to be part of the solution, you’ve got to be proactive about it…black, white, or anything else.
So how do you survive and thrive as a black writer or POC during a time of unprecedented upheaval? Read on to hear about Willi’s experience — and her tips for writers of all shades.
Writing Jobs: 14 Small-Business Markets That Pay Freelancers
Looking for writing jobs? Don’t overlook the small-business niche.
With small business owners scrambling to adapt to a pandemic-ridden economy, both print and online publications are looking for expert content to help their readers navigate these unfamiliar waters.
That’s good news for freelancers. If you’ve got small-business knowledge, or you know who to call and where to find it, you can land writing jobs in the small-business market.
Whether it’s small business, startup, or entrepreneurial ventures you’re targeting, experience is always a bonus when pitching to these pubs. But it’s not a requirement.
What editors want for these writing jobs is freelancers who can interview subject matter experts, share industry advice, write about ways to problem-solve and troubleshoot business issues, and know the niche well enough to provide a deep understanding of the needs of small business owners.
Your brain churning over small-business story ideas? Good.
You can land writing jobs in the small-business niche for privately-owned businesses, business-related publications, and industry organizations.
And the process to land an assignment is pretty universal. Take a look at the popular articles and blog posts on these sites. Study the guidelines. And pitch the editor with an original idea.
Check out these 13 markets that pay for writing jobs related to small business to get started.
Looking for writing courses & community support?
Our online community, Freelance Writers Den, was founded in 2011. Since then, we’ve helped 14,000+ writers connect with peers, improve their skills, and grow their freelance writing income.
Our lively community is stuffed with useful tools and career-building resources. Use our 24/7 forums to get your questions answered by pros. Tap our 300+ hours of self-study trainings to learn new skills.
The Den has live events and multi-week bootcamps where you can tap experts’ knowledge, an exclusive job board, accountability buddies, live chats, and more. Also, if you want feedback on your writer website, LinkedIn profile, or article draft, we’ve got you.
Visit the Freelance Writers Den site to see if we’re open for new members right now. Sign up on the waiting list if we’re not, and you’ll be first to join when we reopen (plus, you’ll get useful free resources in the meanwhile).
