Hope Writes

One Is The Loneliest Number

Posted by Hope

Writing is a lonely job. You sit alone with your pen and paper, or computer, and produce gobs of words every day. You think, breathe, eat, sleep, talk, walk writing all the time. And for the most part, you do it alone.

Writing isn’t like many other professions. Freelance writers face the screen alone. We don’t get to sit in a room full of other writers with lots of creative sparks charging the air. We have to charge our own air–alone.

It’s imperative to remember to network with other creative beings. Even if you aren’t necessarily a socialite, getting together with other writers provides a certain energy you need to recharge your batteries from time to time.

Take me, for example. I’m a loner by nature. I enjoy being alone. I’m an introvert. Being alone doesn’t bother me at all. But every now and then, if I stay cooped up inside too long, I start getting antsy. I get restless and irritable. Even introverts need to get out and be among the living every now and then.

Living deep in bayou country, there are no physical local writing groups. In fact, I haven’t found one yet within an hour or so driving distance from me. So I turn to writing groups online.

Networking online can be just as helpful as networking offline. Both have their advantages. With online writing groups, I get the benefits of meeting and interacting with other writers just the same as I would with an offline group.

The next time you’re feeling restless, make time to find yourself a writing group to become a part of. If you haven’t been able to find one yet, hold tight. I’m working on putting together a writer’s group of my own very soon!

Popularity: 22% [?]

The chicken…or the egg?

Posted by Hope

How do you query? Do you come up with A Brilliant Idea first, then search out market(s) to submit said idea to? Or do you browse markets, get your ideas from there and query?

Which come first for you–the chicken (market), or the egg (idea)?

Some writers say they do best by shaping a solid idea first. Once they have an idea that they think has good hook, and thus a good shot at being accepted, they start the query process.

Other writers concede to surfing through markets. They browse through recent archives to get a feel of the types of articles magazines accept from freelancers, then form an idea and go from there.

Still other writers claim that both or either can come first. Sometimes they’ll come up with a brilliant article idea and submit it. Other times they locate writer’s guidelines to see if there are any themes or article suggestions from the magazine itself for writers to use as a guidepost.

I’ve worked both ways, too. However, I’ve found that most often when I focus too much on one or the other I freeze and can’t come up with any article ideas.

Popularity: 15% [?]