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Writing Contest: Tell Us What You’ve Learned to Win

Evan Jensen

It’s time for a writing contest. Want to win some awesome prizes?

It all started more than a decade ago. The economy sucked. Newspaper layoffs were a regular thing. And many freelance writers were struggling to make a living writing. Sound familiar?

As a longtime business reporter, Carol Tice got hit with one of those pink slips, too. But she wasn’t about to let her writing career go down in flames.

She hustled. She pitched editors and marketing directors. She grew her network online and offline. She juggled freelancing with taking care of kids. Even the uneasiness of using new tech tools and software couldn’t stop her.

She woke up every day to this reminder: “Take the attitude that you are an unstoppable force of nature, and you won’t give up until you’ve got your freelance writing biz earning what you need.”

And you know what happened? All that hustle helped her become a six-figure freelancer.

But she noticed other writers were falling for scams, or getting stuck writing for peanuts for content mills. And that made her M A D.

Then, Carol launched this blog, to help other writers move up and earn more. And after publishing more than 1,200 blog posts, Make a Living Writing has helped thousands of writers achieve success.

What have you learned from Make a Living Writing? Read on for writing contest details and prizes.

Enter to win the Make a Living Writing contest

Whether you’re new to Make a Living Writing, or you’ve been reading the blog for a while. you can enter the writing contest. We want to know how the blog has helped you.

Or if you’re here looking for help, and you’re…

Ready to enter the writing contest?

We want to know how Make a Living Writing has helped you win at freelancing, land clients, make more money, maybe even quit your day job.

  • Is there a specific blog post that helped you get started, move up or earn more?
  • What piece of advice from the blog has helped you the most?
  • Is the blog a source of motivation to help you be a better freelancer?
  • How has Make a Living writing changed your freelance career?

Here’s an example:

I made an ugly exit from newspapers after my publisher refused to raise my $38K salary as an editor and general manager of a community newspaper.

It was bad. I even swore off writing for a while. I thought newspaper journalism was my career path, and now it seemed to be over. But if you really want to be a writer, you’ll find a way.

When I came back to writing, I wasn’t having a lot of success landing assignments that paid decent rates. And that’s when I found Make a Living Writing and Carol’s e-book How to Get Great Freelance Clients.

I had the writing skills. But I didn’t have the marketing skills. Carol’s advice from the blog, and inside the Freelance Writers Den, showed me how it’s done.

Make a Living Writing and other resources opened my eyes to what’s possible, changed the way I was pitching, improved my response rate dramatically, and help me start landing better-paying clients. I’ve even been able to use those skills to help other writers. And about a year and a half ago, I quit my day job as a health and marketing writer for full-time freelancing.”

-Evan Jensen

Writing contest rules: Share your success story

  • Tell us what you’ve learned from Make a Living Writing for a chance to win
  • Only one entry per person.
  • Contest ends Wednesday, May 12, at 11:59 p.m.
  • We’ll review all the submissions and announce the winners on the blog and by email by May 20.

Prizes for the best writing contest submission

  • Grand prize: Two, 40-minute 1:1 coaching sessions with Carol Tice: $500 value
  • Runner up 1: A 20-minute flash-coaching session with Carol Tice + Pitching 101: $200 value
  • Runner up 2: A copy of 11 freelance writing e-books by Carol Tice + One FREE month in the Freelance Writers Den: $125 value

Let’s go! Can’t wait to hear how this blog has helped your career.

What have you learned from Make a Living Writing? Share your story in the comments below for a chance to win.

Free E-Book for Writers: Recession-Proof Freelancer: A 12-Point Plan for Thriving in Hard Times. MakeaLivingWriting.com

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.