Online Exclusive: More Insider’s Guides for 101 Best Websites
Insider’s Guide: Make a Living Writing (makealivingwriting.com) Award-winning freelance writer Carol Tice’s mission is to help writers earn more money for their work. Read the site’s many free expert articles…
Insider’s Guide: Make a Living Writing (makealivingwriting.com)
Award-winning freelance writer Carol Tice’s mission is to help writers earn more money for their work. Read the site’s many free expert articles and sign up for her free e-book, 100+ Freelance Writing Questions, Answered. (Courses and mentor programs are also available for a fee.) For the best approach to farm this rich resource, Tice offers these tips:
- If you’re a first-time visitor, use the categories in the “We talk about …” section for an instant set of posts on the topic you want to learn about. Subscribe via email, too: “RSS subscribers miss many freebie and discount offers from me,” Tice says.
- “There are over 800 posts, so a lot of great content is buried in the archive now.”
- The blog’s best-kept secret? It can teach you how to leverage your own blog to attract readers and turn them into buyers of your content, whether you offer e-books, community, classes or coaching.”
- Tice’s most common question from site visitors? “How do I get started as a freelance writer?” Some of the “most popular” posts in her sidebar address this, and as of this writing, Tice is also in the process of creating a special “New freelance writer? Start here” page that will organize many of her most useful posts for new writers. (Conversely, she also plans to create a space for more established freelancers who want to focus on finding better markets.)
- Don’t be shy! “I allow comments on recent posts, and they’re a lively place! I’m also active on Twitter (@TiceWrites) and have a busy Facebook page for the Make a Living Writing Blog (facebook.com/makealivingwriting). Those are great places to chat with me and get sneak peeks at upcoming e-books and classes of mine. I do contests and giveaways there, too.”
Insider’s Guide: Writer’s Carnival (writerscarnival.ca)
This site has a plethora of advice, insightful critiques from peers, writing prompts, forum discussions and contests—and best of all, membership is free. Those seeking more detailed critiques of their work can upgrade their membership for $9.99/month (or $4.58/month if a one-year membership is purchased.) We caught up with Writer’s Carnival co-founder Anisa Claire for her tips on how to make the most of your time on the site.
-Don’t be afraid to dive into the fray. “Put in what you expect to get back,” Claire says. “We're a community to help writers, but participation is key. Eighty percent of our site is free and open to the public, including our weekly challenges that get upwards of 900 comments per challenge—it's a great way to test the waters and see just how inviting and accepting the community is!”
-Networking is also key. “On top of suggesting [our members] connect with people through their own blogs and on social media, such as Twitter, we also encourage them to network within the Writer's Carnival community because it's a great platform to connect with other people who are on the same journey.”
-Don’t miss the weekly challenges, which are a great way to participate and connect with fellow writers. “We do 'Group Discussions' as well, where we talk as a community about different writing-related topics. Upgraded members can post a group discussion, but any member, regardless of their account status, can participate in the actual conversation. Our site team also takes turn putting these group discussions up.”
