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Monday 26 December 2011

Family Fun

Christmas Day has come and gone, but some wonderful memories were made. I absolutely adore my nephews and niece so it was nice to spend a few hours with them. My sisters did a wonderful job of preparing a meal for 17.

Santa was good to me this year and brought me a Kobo Vox. It was really the only thing I wanted. I spent today downloading books on gardening, quilting, writing, publishing and farming. I also downloaded "The Lost World", one I have never read. In addition to individual gifts, my partner suggested we spend a night in a theme room at Fantasyland Hotel as a family. It will be nice to sit at the edge of the wave pool with book in hand and just relax. I am not a swimmer nor am I too fond of waterslides so I will be quite content sitting and watching my family play in the water.

It will also give me an opportunity to outline an article or three. I will have my notebook and pen along as well and will be able to write down ideas as they come to me. It will be a good way to spend an afternoon. I will most likely not be taking my computer along so will be offline for a day or two. My Kobo Vox does have browser capabilities, but I think I will leave my posts for my page on Facebook.

Have a great week and I will post when I return home. Now is the time for some family fun!

Diane

Saturday 24 December 2011

Merry Christmas!

This is always such a busy time of year! The days go by quickly and we get caught up in the last minute preparations, travel and wrapping of gifts.

I would like to take this opportunity to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! Stay safe and just think of all the topics you'll have to write about when things get back to normal. If you have a great idea for a topic, make sure you write it down...even if it is on a piece of wrapping paper.

Have a great Christmas!

Diane

Tuesday 20 December 2011

Subsidize Your Writing

When a new writer is just getting started it is important to have a plan. One of the main parts of that plan should be to ensure you are still getting an income of some sort. This may mean subsidizing your writing by joining affiliate programs.

In order to utilize affiliate programs to their maximum potential, it is a good idea to have your own website or blog in place. Being a member of social media is also important as the links will not earn any money if they are not put out in front of others. The effort you put into marketing your links will determine the amount of money you earn from them. Don't just sign up for any program either - it should be related to your niche.

Amazon is a great site to have an affiliation with, as there are many different products to choose from. If your niche is crafts there are thousands of different products you can display on your site. If it is books, writing or publishing information there are thousands of books available in that niche as well. Whatever your niche, Amazon most likely has something pertaining to it.

Another popular affiliation site is ClickBank. There are thousands of digital products available for instant download, and with the right product marketing you can earn a residual income. I have purchased products from the site and have been very satisfied with what I got. The variety of products is phenomenal - everything from paying writing sites to craft and cook books.

I have had an affiliation with both of these sites for years, but am only now utilizing their product links. I have learned a lot about marketing in the past several months and have found these two sites to compliment my blogs rather than to take away from them.

If you are in need of a few extra dollars I encourage you to try one or both sites. You can earn a good income from them alone if you put in the effort. My biggest seller on Amazon is a yo-yo maker, which I have posted with one of my Hubs on HubPages.

If you have any questions, please feel free to ask in the comment section below. I am here to help you get started  in your writing career and will help every step of the way. If you have a question I am unable to answer right away I will find the answer for you.

Thanks and have a great day!

Diane

Saturday 17 December 2011

Find Your Niche

You've answered the questions and have set your goals. Now what?

Now you decide what you want to write about. What are your interests? Where have you been? What do you do in your day job?

These are all things that can help you decide what to write about. Look inside yourself to see what you know a lot about. The more you know about a subject the easier it is to write about it. It is also much easier to write about things you have lived and done as opposed to something you will have to do tons of research on. Writing from personal experience goes a long way. It also helps to know your subject because people will ask questions about it at some point.

The more interests you have, the better. It gives you more options. On the flip side, don't be too wishy-washy as your audience won't take you seriously. My main interests are writing and homemaking; the wonderful thing about that is I can write about several different topics but yet they are still connected to one niche. It makes it much easier for me to write when I have some options. I can talk about cooking, crafts, gardening, alpacas, storage, home-based business, and writing and still have it all relevant to my niche.

I understand many people prefer to stay more focused on one particular subject, and that is alright as well. You find your niche and go with it. In order to make any money at it however, you need to be sure there is a demand for the information. If monetary compensation is not important then follow your heart and write about whichever topic you choose.

If you are serious about writing and have a niche in mind, then dive in. If you're interested in writing a book I have put together a mini-course which is available via download. It is filled with information for the beginner, and a great refresher for the experienced article writer. It is perfect for those wanting to advance their skills and broaden their horizons. A small price to pay for information which can lead to a very modest income if utilized properly.

Please let me know if this post was helpful. Thanks and have a great day!

Diane


Wednesday 14 December 2011

Goals

Now that you have asked yourself (and answered honestly I hope) the questions in the previous post, it is time to talk about goal-setting. In order to have a feeling of accomplishment and success, you must set some goals. If you do not give yourself anything to aim for then the effort will seem futile.

There are two types of goals - short-term and long-term. Short-term are the goals you set for the day, week or even month. Long-term goals are set for months, even years down the road. It is a good idea to write these down where you can refer to them often; and cross them off as you achieve them. Remember, they are guidelines that may be changed if your situation changes.

Some examples of short-term goals would be:

  • write an article each day for a week
  • submit an article a day to sites such as EzineArticles
  • start a blog (which is exactly what I have done here) to share your experiences as a writer
  • earn your first $20.00
Some examples of long-term goals would be:
  • complete a writing course
  • earn your first $1000.00
  • write an e-book and publish it
  • earn passive income from your work
Keep your goals in mind as you write and learn. Refer to them often and you will achieve success quicker. As you complete your goals, add new ones. Reach for bigger and better things! Keep in mind bigger and better doesn't necessarily mean material possessions: traveling or saving for your child's education could be long-term goals, but are not material in any way.

The goals I have listed are only the tip of the iceberg, so to speak. There is no limit to what you can achieve, and no right or wrong goals to set. I am setting my own very short-term goal tonight, and that is to finish this post and go to bed. 

Note: Do not be surprised at the times these posts are done; I write at all hours of the night or day. When I have a thought I like to go with it, as I have had great ideas when I've gone to bed but forgotten by morning. I know I should have written them down, but didn't want to disturb my partner's sleep by turning on a light. It is times like those when a smartphone would be a very good thing to have. By the way, that is on my list of goals.

Have a great night/day!

Diane

Getting Started

Beginning any new venture is both exciting and scary. Exciting because of the new roads you will be taking, but also scary because you don't quite know where those roads will take you. When I started I went in full speed ahead without a plan; my first piece of advice is "start with a plan".

It is important to have a plan. As they say, "hindsight is 20/20"; let your hindsight revelations be minimal and do it right from the beginning. I am here to make you aware of the mistakes that can be made, and ways to avoid them. Drawing up a plan doesn't have to take hours; a rough sketch of what goals you hope to accomplish is a good start.

Get out your pen and paper and ask yourself the following questions:

  1. How much time do I have to devote to my writing?
  2. What is my main reason for pursuing a writing career?
  3. What are some other reasons for choosing this path? (List as many as you like.)
  4. Will I have the support from my family and friends? (If you do, that is wonderful; if not don't let it stop you from achieving your goals. There are many resources available for support; links and information will be provided in future posts.)
  5. What do I want to write about? What is my area of expertise?
  6. Can I survive financially if I quit my job to pursue this career full time? 
  7. Am I ready to face rejection? (Believe me, there will be rejection; but don't give up!)
  8. Is my spelling, grammar and punctuation up to par? (There is nothing more irritating to me than reading an article or blog post in which the author did not take the time to spell check. I will stop reading posts with bad grammar and sentence structure. It is lack of moderating on some sites that gives them a bad name.)
  9. Where do I want to submit my work? Online? Offline? Both?
  10. Do I have a good word processing program?
These questions should help you lay out the basics for your venture. Remember, this is just the beginning and you will change things as you go. The questions have no right or wrong answers. This is also a list you may wish to share with family (provided the answer to #4 is "yes"). 

When you have answered the above questions, pick one and write the answer in the comments section. I will elaborate on the topic in a future post. This way, you learn more about the topic and I can help clarify any questions. 

I look forward to seeing your answers! 

Diane

Tuesday 13 December 2011

Welcome to Writer Worries!

Welcome to Writer Worries!

I have decided to elaborate on my passion for writing by dedicating a blog to it. I have learned many things over the last two years (the time I have spent writing, reading, blogging and learning the ropes).

Looking back on my early submissions to HubPages I realized I have come a long way in my writing. I have learned the basics and am improving my style and portfolio all the time. I will be sharing what I have learned about the writing and freelancing industry in my posts. I do not claim to be an expert; just a freelancer/author who wants to share with others the things I have learned. If I don't write, I worry...hence the name, Writer Worries.

Bear with me as I strive to provide new writers and self-publishers with valuable information. Thank you for joining me!

Diane