writer | coach | consultant
Are you experiencing domestic violence? Are you finding yourself in a dangerous situation? Is someone threatening you and you are trying to send a silent signal for help? Asking for help is not always easy. It's even more difficult if you need to do it in a secret way, so that you can alert a… Continue reading #SignalForHelp and other Distress Signals
#OpenLetter Dear Mister #JeffBezos, Please, consider this my #jobapplication. I was so pleased to read about your plans/efforts to #donate a fortune to charitable causes. I also hear (i.e., read) that you find the process challenging sometimes, so I would like to provide you with an easy solution: #hireme to do it! And, yes, I… Continue reading Open Letter to Mr. Bezos
One of the main questions my freelance writing coaching clients ask me is: "Where can I find writing jobs?" There are several answers to this, of course. But one of the simplest? "Subscribe to newsletters!" They can be a great source of job listings and information on writing contests, and often they also provide tutorials,… Continue reading 7 Newsletters for Freelance Writers
"Connecting" on Social Media - a huuuuge deal these days. I mean, this seems to be what social media is all about. Or is it? Don't worry, this is NOT one of those posts about the use of social media vs actually meeting people in. real. life! No, I really want to talk about connecting… Continue reading Hey, let’s CONNECT… right?
Are you in need of some fresh writing inspiration? It might already be waiting for you - right there in your browser's bookmarks! The writing inspiration in your bookmarks I usually surf the www, and I find interesting sites (blog posts, articles, tutorials). I bookmark them... and bookmark another one... and bookmark something else to… Continue reading Inspiration and Information: Your Link Collections!
I guess we all are somewhat aware of a certain difference between writing and speaking - or, to be more precise, between the written and the spoken word. Speechwriters need to give that fact special attention, because there is also a difference between writing and speaking, and writing for the purpose of a speach. Difference… Continue reading Why You Should not Write a Speech Like an Essay
It is another hot (surprise!!) summer day here in Florida - but this particular blog post is less about perspiration and more about organizing. Self-organization, to be exact. Self-Organization: "Priorities" and "The Big Picture" vs. "Sweating the Small Stuff" (?) When it comes to organizing (be it yourself or something/someone else), setting priorities and recognizing… Continue reading This Week, I’ve been Sweating (… the Small Stuff!)
...if you want to dip your toes into the subjects of online learning and continuing education. After all, one of the qualities of a good writer is to keep reading and learning... and apart form that, "getting informed and inspired" sounds much better than "procrastinating"... so here's one possible place to go... 😉 Online Learning… Continue reading TED-Ed: 11 Online Lessons To Check Out…
Can you spare five minutes? Great! Five minutes a day, that is what this exercise requires. Five minutes to help you with your writing. To help developing new ideas. To jot down a fleeting thought that someday might grow to become a plot. To help overcoming the menacing ... (*whispers*) Writer's Block. Productivity for Writers… Continue reading The 5 Minutes Writing Exercise
You haven't? Well, neither have I, especially when it comes to English. So, here's another Ted-Ed video, one of a series of Ted-Ed lessons on how to "Perfect your punctuation". https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GHnl1O3NGJk
I like this article about time management over at the Harvard Business Review – and since this can easily become an issue, and not only for freelancers…
Usually, I am rather confident about my grammar and spelling skills. But it seems, particularly as a bilingual writer, there is always - ALWAYS - something left for me to learn. And since I figure that I am not the only one: Here is a simple example sentence by Noemi Tasarra-Twigg on freelancewritinggigs.com: I had… Continue reading A Handy Guide to Punctuation Marks
... has published one of my short stories, so I am very happy to announce that "In good Hands" can now be read as part of the current "Practical Handbook of Bee Culture". The Handbook (which is not REALLY about bees!) is a publication of the "Retired Beekeepers of Sussex", a Sherlock-Holmes group based in… Continue reading Another Sherlock-Holmes Anthology …
An old issue of one of my fave writing-related newsletters of http://www.worldwidefreelance.com has directed me to a peculiar little article: Author opens one-book shop to sell his own work To me, it's a curious piece of information and - possibly - inspiration. I mean, one never knows where the next inspiring idea might come from,… Continue reading A One-Book Shop… !
I must not neglect my blog I must not neglect my blog I must not neglect my blog I must not neglect... ~~~ If you are anything like me, your blogging is filled with a certain amount of content (i.e. posts) and ... uhm... good intentions. You KNOW that your blog/website/Facebook page is a major… Continue reading Schedule your (Blog) Content in Advance
If one works as a ghostwriter or writing mentor (like yours truly), you often get to hear a question - something along the lines of: "I want to tell a story/write about [insert writing topic here] - but would a publisher be interested in that? And if yes: Which publisher?" Ghostwriting and the Search for… Continue reading “Would a Publisher be interested in the Subject of my Manuscript?” Well, let’s have a look …
A TEDx Talk by Nathan Filer ... which reminds me: I DO have some writing to do 😉 So I guess I leave you with this for now. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NMQGa6grfeE
Writing a great dialogue is not that easy! I am not even sure if there is a method (as in a formula one could learn) of how to do this. Granted, there are quite a few writing-related skills and qualities (grammar, structure, plotting devices ...) you can learn from books and courses. But I think,… Continue reading Writers: Do your Dialogues sound natural?
If you like this video, take a closer look at TED-Ed here ... https://youtu.be/j0_u-lourd0
susa(nne) wagner 