Just Thinking Write Now

8 tips for aspiring writers

2010-04-10T23:43:00.002+08:00

8 tips for aspiring writers
By Arlene M. Paredes

(This article was published in the Philippine Daily Inquirer in March 2003.)

IF you're a persistent, determined and resourceful writer, there are a lot of opportunities for you, especially in this age of information technology when your works may even be sought by international magazines.

While you're starting, the money may not be enough to pay the bills just yet. But with any luck, and once you've established yourself as a writer, opportunities would follow you and projects would abound.

Eventually you'll realize the money becomes mere icing on the cake because the true reward in writing is the joy of being paid while you're not really working but merely expressing yourself. It will definitely make you feel you're luckier than any other employed person in the world.

The question now is: How do you start?

Know your strength (or your genre). Although there are writers who can comfortably shift from fiction to features to other genre, it's good to concentrate on one field while you're starting. This way, you can improve your writing, one field at a time. I was 17 when I started writing for a local komiks in 1997. But I realized the competition is quite stiff in the komiks, so I shifted to writing feature stories for women's magazines. I realized I was more comfortable in writing features, and there were unlimited topics to discuss. So I continued to write features and somehow grew from there.

Study your prospective market in bookstores. Once you've learned what your strength is, you should know the publications that publish such genre. And the best way to do this is to hit the bookstores and explore available publications. Remember, too, that you should familiarize yourself with the general tone of the publication you're eyeing so you'll know whether or not your style fits with them.

"Meet" the editors. You'll find their names and contact information in the staff boxes of their publications. You will submit your articles to them so they're the ones who'll judge your works. They're the ones who'll either crush or challenge you, depending on how you take their words. If I were you, I'd choose to be challenged than crushed. Don't forget there are more editors on the Internet and there are websites where you can "advertise" yourself as a writer. You just have to search "wanted+writer" on the Internet and you'll be overwhelmed with the demand for writers all over the world.

Write and submit queries and articles. Honestly, I didn't know what "queries" were when I started. Gee, I didn't know anything then. I just knew I wanted to be published. So I wrote a komiks editor and asked for a sample script. Two out of three editors replied and I'll forever be thankful to them.

Queries are basically proposals with a brief introduction of yourself and a synopsis of what you intend to write about. There are editors who prefer queries but there are others who would rather read your full material. So back to the tip above, call/e-mail the editor first so you'll know what her/his preference is.

For tips on how to write effective queries, search "good+query" over the Internet. After you've submitted your query/work, don't bombard your editor with phone calls and visits. Don't submit multiple works at the same time. Dealing with solicited materials is difficult enough. Reading unsolicited materials can really be straining so give them ample time to review your work.

Improve yourself. After receiving good feedback, don't rest on your laurels (if it's bad feedback, don't give up). A good writer always finds ways to write better. For inspiring and motivating articles for writers, log on to http://ewritersplace.com or search "tips+writers" over the Internet. You may also attend writing workshops and seminars if you're serious about improving yourself. Goodwill Bookstore offers such seminars, so the next time you hit the malls, go to Goodwill and ask about this.

Surround yourself with writers. Even if you don't thrive in competition, being surrounded by writers is a very effective motivating force. Experienced writers, especially the kind and generous ones, would give you tips on effective writing and even tips on prospective publications. If you haven't heard of one, log-on to and join http://groups.yahoo.com/group/pinoywriters.

Read, write, read, write... daily. Read books, magazines and newspapers (even if the news is invariably bad). Write about an interesting news and challenge yourself to make a stand regarding a national issue. Keep a journal. If you haven't heard about online journals, you may want to visit http://www.blogger.com, where you can easily maintain your journal online.

As you read and write more, you learn more about yourself, you develop a more distinct style, and you challenge yourself to write better each time. The truth is, you don't have to pressure yourself to write better. It will just happen as you write every day.

Be a social person. Did you know that Emily Dickinson was such a recluse that she would only talk to visitors from inside her room? I don't know how she got her ideas, but I got mine from interacting with friends, people, and even strangers. Everyone has a story to tell. If you listen closely, you'll never run out of things to write about. If you read constantly, you'll learn both the bad and effective ways in sending out your messages to your readers.

Get Out of Your Own Way (Monday Muse)

2010-02-22T22:13:00.003+08:00

The following is a reminder from writer Susan Carter, whose e-newsletter of inspiration for writers pushes me to revisit my old passion, however daunted I am (have been, for a while) to concentrate on it. I used to be someone with a sense of determination when it comes to writing projects. Distractions have kept me off track and now I'm finding it hard to light the fire again. But I know one could do anything he or she is set out to do, as long as the desire is clear and well defined in one's core of being.

I know I still have that desire. That passion. It's not settled right now; it's restless. It'll settle when I start acting on it. Right now my creative thoughts and plans are like a mass of explosive energy in a canister, counting minutes before bursting into smithereens of nothingness, unless I manage to gently make a small opening for the creative thoughts and plans to be printed sensibly on paper. It is the only way to balance the energy source again. Maintenance is key.

Get Out of Your Own Way

Last week I asked if you were self-sabotaging your career. This week, I want to quickly review four common ways we get off the career-building track, or worse – ever get on.

1. Procrastination and Distraction

Landing an assignment is the first step to building your career,
but if you put off going after one, allow distractions to keep
you from completing one, or wait so long that you put yourself
under a grueling schedule to meet a deadline, your setting
yourself up for disaster. Approach new assignments with
anticipation of success not fear of failure.

2. Waiting for Perfection

Do you write, rewrite, rewrite again, and then start over
because it’s not perfect? You’re not alone. Just about every
writer can identify with your feeling of angst. Yet, writing is
not a science. There isn’t just one way to get it right. If you
strive for perfection, your work will likely remain archived on
your computer’s hard drive. If your work is clear, logical, and
meets the expectations set out at the onset, it’s time to press
“Send” and deliver it.

3. All Talk and No Action

Do you have an action plan for your writing career? It’s one
thing to say, “By this time next year, I’m going to be
writing regularly for three prominent magazines,” or, “My
goal is to be a full time freelance writer in six months.”
It’s another thing to achieve those goals. In addition to
declaring WHAT you plan to do, you must determine HOW you’re
going to do it. Put “action” into your action plan.

4. Not Investing in Yourself

I often talk about self-investment in this weekly Muse. I
suppose because it amazes me that there is a ‘disconnect’ for
writers when it comes to improving and honing skills. Every
career, every business, grows and improves by pursuing an
investment in knowledge and an expansion of skills. Writers are
not exempt from this requirement. You need to decide if you want
to be an amateur writer or a professional writer.

If you want to be a professional writer, invest in yourself, get
on track, and get out of your own way.

Until next week,

Susan Carter
WriterProfits.com

What is wrong in this job ad?

2009-12-17T12:09:00.007+08:00

I need a writer who is looking for consistant work.

You Must Meet These Qualifications:
GREAT WRITING IN ENGLISH!
Understand SEO in Articles
Able to Communicate Via GoogleTalk
Deliver The Articles Timely
Must be Copyscape Passed and Unique!
Average of 5-10 Articles / Day

Pay:
I currently employee a writer but she is not preforming ontime or consistantly so I am looking for someone new :D.
I will pay you P55 + 8% for the paypal fee per unique 450 word article. I will even let you rewrite your own articles!

Please send information on yourself and a sample of your writing. Once your hired, I will pay you every week for your services.

---

If you could, just ignore the spelling, grammar, sentence construction, and everything that is wrong in this advertiser's use of the English language. The most ridiculous part of this job advertisement is the TF for an article of 450 words -- just a little over $1!!!

---

Please tell this idiot that excellent writers deserve much, much more than that. So he/she should not be surprised if his/her "currently employee a writer" is not too enthusiastic about the job. His/Her Craigslist-linked e-mail address is
job-qvzpb-1512889278@craigslist.org.

---

Almost 4 years ago, I went back to school to finally complete my degree. I lived off only some occasional writing jobs, one of which had me writing dollar-fifty-worth SEO articles to get by. Back then, I just really *needed* money. But now, I'd like to get paid for what original articles are worth. I'm sorry that my "need" has encouraged stupid exploitations like this, but now I'm thinking whether some cash-strapped students are still benefiting from this. If so, then I guess this job advert and me are just a big mismatch now. To the student or any writer who will take this job, though, take it only if there is absolutely nothing else that you could do to earn decent money. (I doubt this. Just surf and browse to find better deals.) But know this -- there are other agents or direct employers who offer as much as $7 for an article of 500 words, which you can finish in half an hour or so. Direct employers pay much, much more. They do not post often on Craigslist, but your patience will pay off.

Thanks to WriterProfits.Com

2009-12-14T23:13:00.000+08:00

Editor’s Musings: 7 Tips for Self-Editing

As writers, you know that editing puts the polish on your
writing, but it can be expensive to hire an editor for every
piece of work you produce. Yet, when it comes to self-editing,
it’s common for writers to struggle to view their work with an
objective eye. Here are seven tips to help get you through the
self-editing process:

1) Write. Wander. Read.

Write without a single thought of editing. Let the creative mind
control the page and get everything you want to say written. Then
set the first draft aside, preferably for 24 hours or more.
Distract yourself with other tasks or activities so your mind can
wander. Once the time has passed, read what you’ve written.
Just this one act of putting time and space between you and your
first draft will bring more clarity of intent and objectivity for
the editing process.

2) Speak Out.

Read your work aloud. If it helps, pretend you’re a news
reporter or narrating the work as a book on tape. What looks
right on the page may sound awkward or unclear. If it doesn’t
sound right, it likely doesn’t read right.

3) Change Formats and Venue.

Most of us use computers so we’re accustomed to editing our
work directly into the digital document. Print out your draft and
leave your workspace to read it. Changing the format you use to
review your work and moving to different surroundings
recalibrates your mindset and allows you to see your writing with
fresh eyes.

4) Start with Substantive Editing.

Review your draft as a whole. Do you present the information in
a logical order? Is it easy to follow? Does the content flow from
paragraph to paragraph? Does it say what you mean?

5) Line Edit for Style.

Go through your draft one sentence at a time. Are sentences too
long? Are they clear or confusing? Do they use the correct
structure and agreements? Are they repetitive? Does each sentence
add to the material or distract from it? Does the sentence belong
in this paragraph or another? Does the sentence belong in the
text at all?

6) Copyedit for Details.

Next, it’s time to check the details. Check spelling and
grammar, along with any usage issues. Do you have any dangling
participles or are you ending sentences with a preposition? Keep
a style guide handy and use it!

7) Proofread for Perfection.

After you’ve made all of your edits and you think you are
ready to submit your work, proofread it. Again, put some time and
space between the finished piece and the final proofread. Read
each sentence and check each word – did you use “and” when
it should be “an”? Did you spell “their” when you mean
“there”? The easiest things to miss during your editing
process are the most obvious errors when someone else is reading
your work.

Writers rarely love the editing process. Yet, whether you
send it to another or decide to self-edit your work, the effort
and result let your professionalism shine.

Until next week,

Susan Carter
WriterProfits.com

Today's Quote
It is perfectly okay to write garbage as long as you edit brilliantly. --C. J. Cherryh

Distributed by WriterProfits.com every Monday.
(c) Copyright 2006-2009 Nasus Publishing - All Rights Reserved

The story behind my first byline (Part 2)

2009-12-11T04:06:00.003+08:00

(Second of two parts)

One morning, after waking up from heavily interrupted sleep in hospital (namamahay), I told my mother I'd go out for a walk.

What I really meant to do was, check if my poems had been accepted. (There was no way for me to find out but to check every issue of the magazine.)

As fate would have it, there was a makeshift newsstand just right outside the hospital. A newspaper vendor laid out his items on the floor, and so passers-by gathered around him to either read the newspaper headlines, take advantage of free browsing, or actually buy their own copies.

The vendor had Woman Today among his items so I took it, browsed to find the Teen Beat section, and then my heart began to pound wildly. I saw my name!

I wanted to reach out to passers by and show my poem. I wanted to tell the vendor that my poem is in one of the magazines that he was selling.

It was a beautiful moment that changed everything in my life. I've been dead worried for days and nights because of all the troubles around me, but in that long instant, I knew that there was an order in the universe and there really was a reason for every little thing in the world. The day I saw my first ever byline will always be the day when I realized that I could actually make my dreams come true.

I wanted to jump and dance and shake everyone's hands right there and then. But it was not something I was wont to do, I'm the type who could just jump for joy inside my head and then get it out of my system after that. So I settled for a quiet smile.

Naturally, I bought the magazine and proudly showed my poem to my mother.

She then photocopied my poem a million times, and gave it to her friends and some relatives. I don't know if this is true, but my mother said our family doctor read the short poem in front of her, and his eyes turned moist. And then he said some very kind words about me. To this day, I think my mother was exaggerating. But I could imagine that the family doctor was at least half moved, because he knew a little bit about the story behind the poem. I took writing seriously from then on.

I thought only one of the two poems I submitted was accepted. I didn't bother checking the next few magazine editions. I was already high with the first one, after all. But a couple of weeks later, my high school seat mate, Remar, told me that he saw my poem in a magazine. And it was not the poem that my mother photocopied. I got a second byline! I didn't show it to my mother anymore, because it was a really silly teen love poem. (It was best to let her believe that I was not giving romance any thought. She had enough problems already.)

Anyway, no one told me that I should check if I could get paid for that. I just assumed that the reward was in the priceless delight of seeing my byline twice in a magazine.

(I wanted to scan the poem and have the image posted here, but that will have to wait for only a few days.)

Note: By writing this, I wish to meet my 14 year old self again and be inspired by her zeal for writing. She was not hard on herself, she cared very little for what others would think or say, she wrote because she believed she could, and doing so made her feel so good. When she saw her byline in a magazine, all she could think of was, boy, there really is an order in the universe!

The story behind my first byline (Part 1)

2009-12-09T23:41:00.006+08:00

I was 14 when I first submitted written materials to a magazine. As early as then, I already knew that I wanted to be a writer someday. I have already started my "writing career" in the school organ, but I wanted to find out if I could make it “out there.”
I started with poems.

It was 1994 when my mother started buying Woman Today magazine. She would buy other magazines later on, but Woman Today was the first magazine that she had brought home together with her favorite komiks from the town market.

Just a quick background, I grew up in a family of three that lived off a small store's income (and some extra money from my mother's cooked meriendas). My mother bought komiks both for her reading pleasure and a little profit. She rented out komiks to our sari-sari store's frequent customers. When I couldn't read yet, the illustrations in the komiks didn't quite entertain me so I wasn't fond of komiks; but when I learned to read, I got hooked on reading komiks, too. (It all started with the story of a little girl who had monstrous fingers in Hiwaga komiks.)

So anyway, I'd take this moment now to thank my late mother for having an uncanny foresight for her child's career path. She knew that I liked writing, so she introduced me to the publications that were familiar to her. No one would rent magazines in our neighborhood, yet she didn't mind about not recovering its cost. The magazine was for me.

Let me tell you something, though -- I'm a very lazy reader. I really am. (I try to read more, though. I know I need to.) So when I started reading magazines, I didn't read from cover to cover. I still don't. But a section in Woman Today quickly captured my attention. The section was called "Teen Beat." It was calling out for submissions from "teenagers." Naturally, I got all excited. Would I see my name in a woman's magazine? A magazine, which has a lot more readers than the high school organ?

I don't remember now whether I wrote two poems for Teen Beat, or I just used two previously written but unpublished poems. I do remember that the poems were handwritten because I didn't even have a typewriter back then.

I remember the section editor's name: Kap Aguila. I wrote his name together with the address of the magazine, on an envelope. (I did not have the slightest idea that in only three years, I would be e-mailing articles instead of sending snail mails. I did not even have a typewriter yet!)

Fast forward to a couple of weeks later. My father, who was then 83, was hospitalized for the first time. It was the height of family drama, first chapter. It was a time when I was beginning to be aware that I had to be emotionally strong because *my* life was more difficult and a lot more complicated than the lives of most people I knew. (I didn't know that many people, but it didn't matter to me. I would much later realize that everyone's life is difficult.)

My world, back then, was dark and dreary, but I was about to see some silver lining.

(Part 2 to follow.)

How to pitch a story

2009-12-04T00:05:00.004+08:00

Here's something I haven't done for quite a while now -- pitching a story to a publication or an editor.

When you pitch a story, you basically make a proposal. Book authors do it, television writers do it, and magazine contributors do it. The idea is for a writer to throw ideas to an editor.

I'd love to start pitching stories soon. After my blogs are all in place, I'll go straight to endless pitching.

The first time I pitched a story, I did it for FHM Philippines. I don't remember how I got hold of FHM magazine; I probably saw it lying around somewhere in a friend's house, I probably bought it out of curiosity. What happened after was, I saw this section in which the magazine features regular guys doing different jobs in the country. The idea is to give the male readers an idea of what it's like to do another person's job and how much could one earn from doing something like that.

I immediately thought back then, hey, I could definitely feature my boss in this section.

I was 20 years old, fresh out of college, or dropping out of college, I should say. (No need to worry, I am now officially a degree holder.) My boss was this cute 30-something guy who had a full service advertising agency. He was also a musician, a composer, and I think he wore many other hats. I wonder know where he is now...

(Went to Facebook. Searched his name. Added. We'll see where he is now. Update: We're FB pals now. He is still very cute!)

So anyway, I called the magazine. (Their contact numbers are always in the staff box.) A receptionist passed me on to the associate editor. See, what I learned then was, the editor's time is utterly precious, so if a freelance writer or a prospective contributor would like to pitch a story that may or may not fly, the right person to come to is the associate or assistant editor. So I told the associate editor my reason for calling, gave him a background about my boss, told him I'll send him an e-mail for more details, he was kind and approachable, and so within the week, I got a confirmation that I could go ahead and write the story.

A day or two after that, I told my boss that I was going to interview him. (I had to formulate the right approach to my boss because I didn't know if it was okay to do a part-time job and even use him to further my ambition in a different career.)

I was ecstatic, I felt like I was a real grown up for having gone through the pitching process for the first time and getting a nod right away. When my story appeared in the magazine, I was sure that there is nothing else that I would rather do than write, write, write.

But then the pay, really, was not enough. The thing is, at 20, I was already in charge of the rent and the groceries and lots of things at home. But this isn't about that.

I'm turning 30 soon, but I am not any less interested in writing. First love never dies, so they say. I've learned more things about the trade and I'm still learning to this day.

As a freelance writer, I'd be happy to look back to those days when everything was new, if only to remind myself that there is no other job that will make me feel this way about having to work for a living. I should point out, though, that a lot of things are still new today. I was in and out of the writing world, but this time, I'm here to stay, err, I am more serious about staying than ever before.

Seeing my byline in print gives me all the reason I need to keep on writing, even if it becomes obvious that I need to leave a high paying job to go back to it.

Feed your passion, money will find you.

Writing Tips

2009-12-03T12:09:00.002+08:00

Articles worth reading:

Blogging for Dollars By Julia Hayden

The More You Read, The More You Write By Michelle Mach

Pitching for Poets & Writers

Vacation's over!

2009-12-03T00:41:00.000+08:00

I resigned from my job last month, hoping to go back to the life I left behind when I jumped into a full time job for the sake of travel perks.

(My bosses knew how much I enjoy traveling so they told me a series of their personal traveling tales in separate meetings, asking that I reconsider and jump off the pond that I was in, to see the ocean. I knew there was nothing to lose except the liberty to do so many things that I can pretty much do later on, say, after 2-3 years.)

My very kind bosses understood my need for time (and space), so instead of accepting my resignation, they asked me if I could stay as a virtual consultant, in effect still managing the team, and never leaving my duties as the external relations person in the company.

So for a while now, I've just been on vacation, settling in my new apartment, closing the year in utter thankfulness.

Then I got bored. So I thought to myself, this is it. It's time to go back to writing. It's your main reason for intending to resign in the first place.

So I started rediscovering SEO writing, I got a few online writing jobs. I revisited Craigslist. I checked out http://www.freelancewritinggigs.com/ and felt that I was, whoa, happy.

A full time job may offer security and benefits, but it's not good enough for a person whoneeds a lot of warm up time, a lot of writing time, and none of the stress from the corporate people. I absolutely enjoy my job as an external relations manager. But without divulging much details, all I could say is, it's not the only thing that I want to do in this lifetime. And I'm turning 30. So I gotta give more time to the things that matter to me more. Because life is short. And I'm working to live, not the other way around.

I created this blog for my thoughts on online writing. I will be re-learning the tricks again because I've been gone for almost 2 years and the technology has changed and improved so much since then.

But hey, I enjoy writing. I do. So everyday is playtime. Every writing project is a chance to play and an opportunity to hone my skills. God knows I've got a lot of "honing" to do, but I've been putting that off for a while now.

BTW, I improved my personal blog's layout and I like it so much.

There's much time for other stuff now. There's also more time to sleep.

Dear God, Thank you for the wonderful things that I've done today. Thank you for providing me with opportunities to grow and expand my horizon, always.

12 midnight, time to write!

2009-12-02T14:12:00.001+08:00

As a virtual freelancer, my day usually starts late and ends post-midnight, around 1 or 2 in the morning. I write stuff in my bed before laying me down for dreamland and as such, my entries are usually (manually) stamped around 12 am. Around this time, I'd be writing personal stuff that are way too private for the cyberspace. But I think a little change would be good. I'd be writing not so personal stuff at 12 and simply practice writing in preparation for a writing project in my mind now. And so I begin.