25 Of The Best Guides For Online Writing Techniques And Writing Styles
Every writing style has its own set of rules and fine points that make it effective. To learn them, or just to brush up on your skills, you need quality guides that will help you discover what they are and what the finer points really are. For some of us, it’s purely the desire for information that causes us to follow, bookmark, and absorb the information contained in these posts. At the bottom, I included sites to complete courses you can take free of charge on almost anything you’d like to learn.
This collection only includes some of the best guides for beginner and expert online writers that I’ve come across so far. If you have any to add, feel free to add them in the comments, or write a response post and send the link.
Press Releases
1.The 7 Deadly Mistakes People Make When Submitting Press Releases ebook from Online PR News is excellent for writing and submitting releases.
2.How to Write an Effective Press Release from Quick Start SEO has a thorough guide that talks about style, mood, and other finer points as well as the SEO aspects.
3.How to Write an SEO Press Release from Green Doc is another you’ll want to browse through before getting started.
Web Copy
4.Web Copy Style from Provenance Unknown.com has great in-depth guide for anyone writing content specifically for web pages. It includes how to deal with style as well as the technical side of the style including capitalization, grammar, and punctuation.
5.How To Write Effective Web Copy from isitebuild.com has a great step by step guide through the process of actually using the style.
Email Marketing Copy
6. How To Write Effective Emails from PowerHomeBiz.com has lots of great tips for marketing style in general as well as email marketing copy.
7. 7 Steps to Effective Email Marketing from cd email solutions is an excellent guide as is the next source:
8. 10 Tips for Effective Email Sales Letters from the Street Directory.
SEO Style and Article Marketing
SEO Content Solutions has some great resources for beginner copywriters.
9. The Bare Bones Basics of Writing SEO Copy is a straightforward post on…well…the bare basics of SEO.
10.Article Marketing Writing Technique SEO Copywriters builds on the basics for those starting into article marketing.
11.Search Engine Copywriting: Comprehensive Guide For Beginners To Content Writing For Search Engine Optimization is an excellent guide for the actual writing process.
Blogging
12.How to Write the Perfect ‘About’ Page (by Numbers) by Skelliewag.org offers a step by step guide for a great about page.
13.How To Blog: A Beginner’s Blog Publishing Guide by Master New Media helped me start my first blog.
14.You Need a Blog Strategy from Problogger is one of many in this bible for bloggers.
Proofreading Tips And Hints
15.Can I get away with it? 12 common grammatical errors YOUR probably making! Recently published by Divine Write is a great grammar guide that won’t have you snoring after the first paragraph.
16.14 Foolproof Proofreading Tips for Bloggers from Copyblogger doesn’t get to the nitty grity of proof reading, but it definitely helps. Don’t believe me? Try it for yourself.
General Writing Style
17.Guide to AP style from Dr. Michael S Sweeney of Utah State University doesn’t contain all of the rules and guidelines, but it is certainly a good start and a great companion to the AP stylebook.
18.Cute Writing has an excellent series on punctuation use which includes great posts on using semicolons, brackets, capitalization, and much more.
19.Paramedic Method: A Lesson in Writing Concisely from Owl is great for those who want to brush up on the ‘concise’ area of their style.
20.Juicy Studio wins for an informative set of posts on writing style. It contains information on grammar, style, and ‘zero tolerance’ you will find interesting.
Miscellaneous Resources
21.50 of the Best Websites for Writers from EduChoices has one of the best collections of reference sites I’ve seen. If you fact check, are interested in general writing sites, fiction, non-fiction, or freelancing (which should basically cover everyone) you’ll want to bookmark and refer to this site. (They have free biology/science courses underneath that I plan to get to eventually.)
22.12 Free Online Class Sites from The Times They Are A Changing is an info addict’s paradise.
23.50+ Open Courseware Writing Classes from the World’s Leading Universities from College Degree.com will fill in where The Times They Are A Changing left off.
24.100+ Free Open Courseware Links for Writers from MatchACollege.com is fabulous.
25.Online Copywriting 101: The Ultimate Cheat Sheet from Grokdotcom.com has a goldmine of various sources for writers including tips for headlines, email marketing, blogs and more.
What Divorce Taught Me About Business And What You Can Learn From It
This isn’t going to be the type of ex-spouse bashing post you might expect. The truth is I’ve been faced with three situations in recent weeks. The combination has caused me to do a lot of soul searching and looking back. While I’ve been able to see the breakdown of my first marriage as more positive than negative for quite some time, I realized that it benefited me and helped build my copywriting business even more than I originally thought.
Never Rely On A Single Source Of Income
This was perhaps the hardest lesson of all to learn, but it was also one of the best. Allowing one client or one source of business to supply you with your entire income will have devastating results. It isn’t a matter of if, but when. When something does happen, you are left scrambling without an income and bills still piling on the table. As a general rule of thumb, limit customers to no more than 20% of your income.
What Really Matters When Mistakes Are Made
When it comes down to it, it doesn’t matter who did what, when, where or how. Defining the real problem and finding the solution becomes the most important thing to focus on. You can’t change what’s already been done, so chin up, buckle down, and ‘fix it.’ That’s the only way anyone will get anywhere. You may be surprised with the results.
Beating A Dead Horse Never Has Positive Results
I’m not a quitter, and have a terrifying fear of failure. It was another one of those things that I fought for far too long. Sometimes, you just have to admit that things aren’t going anywhere but down. When that happens, own up to it, cut your losses, and move on. This doesn’t mean give up or be afraid to push through the hard times. Pouring time, money, and effort into a sinking ship, however, makes it harder to recover. It’s one of those things. You just ‘know’ when you’re beating your head against the wall.
Climbing Out Of That Hole Has Its Rewards
When I was tired of working two full time jobs, welfare wouldn’t help, attacks seemed to come from all directions, and it just didn’t look worth it, I just kept going. Even after working myself out of that hole, I’ve found myself in situations where I’ve asked myself if it’s really worth it, or if I should just call it quits and take the easy road for a change.
I’ve found the copywriting and coaching/consulting business is much the same. This lesson can be easily forgotten in the heat of things. Thankfully, I have been blessed with great friends to help me remember.
The easy road may get you to where you are going, but the hard road has many valuable lessons and rewards along the way. Given either choice, I’ll take the hard road and enjoy the journey.
The Great Debate — How Much Should A Writer Charge?
Several prominent bloggers have addressed this issue lately. In fact, I have found myself in the middle of this debate several times the last few weeks. What should you charge? What pay scale should you follow? What should you pay for outsourcing various services?
I admit that I pay too much for some things, and not enough for others. My biggest word of advice is to research, do your homework (aka competitor/industry espionage 
) and start off where you feel comfortable.
Many have complained about writing for less than $10 an article. It stinks, but in my opinion, you’ll take what you can get to make sure the rent gets paid at the end of the month. Do I recommend it? Yes and no.
I hated writing for peanuts, but with no education, no experience, and a dire need for extra money I took them. Lots of them. However, I gained more from those low paying jobs than I did from jobs that pay much higher.
When I made agreements for low paying work, I asked for information. I asked for feedback, which I used to gain higher paying jobs. I asked for information on SEO, and received valuable tips and hints from people who have been in the business for years. I asked confidentiality on pricing in exchange for recommendations and word of mouth advertising.
Eventually, I had a full workload that paid higher than I expected. Those small jobs helped me gain what I needed to enter the higher paying markets.
I no longer do these jobs, nor do I recommend that others follow my path. I’m simply stating that I think experienced writers are unfair when they look down on other writers who work for less when they don’t know the entire story. I understand that it holds prices down, but this generally shouldn’t be an issue.
Four reasons for this:
- While I dislike the basic principle, some customers are interested in an article stuffed with keywords, and only enough ‘filler words’ to keep Google from considering it spam. Generally, these articles fall towards the lower end of the pay scale. They aren’t interested in content or quality. For unconfident beginners who need the experience and the cash, these work well. These articles become a chance to test the waters and see what’s available. Experienced writers refuse to take this type of project. It all evens out in the end.
- Customers interested in quality content are looking at the higher end of the scale. These clients want quality, well-written content, and normally don’t have the patience to deal with newbie writers who have never composed a piece. I’m not saying there aren’t any, but they are few and far between. Anyone who has bid on a project can vouch for that. They see the higher price tag as an assurance that they will get exactly what they need. The first time.
- For writers a little short in the ‘fame’ department, big writing jobs might come along on a regular basis, but they aren’t enough to keep the wolves from the door. They have to take the smaller jobs to keep their head above water while they are chasing the bigger fish.
- Writers from other countries can afford to work for less because of the differences in our economies. Not their fault. In fact, I would do the same thing in their position.
I will launch a new site offering a completely new set of services in the next few weeks. This means I need an entirely new price structure. I will not be taking the same path, but I still need to choose wisely. The Internet leaves very little room for mistakes.
I have considered my pricing structure for writing/coaching here as well. While I would like to increase my prices, I feel that it would be unfair to the market I am currently targeting. I am out to make ends meet, and help others. So long as I can continue this way without going under, I will continue to do so. If I need or want the additional income, I will aim at a different market. My prices will remain the same for now.
All in all, I see working your way up the pay scale far more notable than waking up one morning and saying ‘I think I’m going to write for $200 an article today.’
If it was that easy, everyone would do it. I’d be retired, and living out my dream. End of story.
This may lead you to ask what the standard pricing method is. While I would like to lead you to a page that tells you exactly what to charge, I can’t. There isn’t one. You need to charge what you feel comfortable with. It should cover all of your expenses, and make a profit that meets your needs.
If you are trying to decide what to charge, or are looking to increase your rates, here are a set of posts that will give you insight into this area:
On deciding what to charge for your writing services…
- Hourly Rate Calculator from Freelance Switch
- Professional Practice from Step Inside Design
- Five Things To Know Before Setting Your Prices from CatalystBlogger
- A Pricing Strategy for Everyone from Startup Students
- How Much to Charge for Freelance Writing from Imagine This Writing.Net
- Calculating Your Freelance Rates (A four part series) from Freelance Sprout
- Setting Writer Rates: It Costs Money To Make Money by Men with Pens (aka The Original Pen Man)
On raising the prices for your written work…
- How To Get What You’re Worth from Self Made Chick
- 7 Ways to Wipe Out Price Resistance from Freelance Writing Success
- Freelance Blogging for Side Income: My Top 10 Tips from AnyWired
- Problogging Tips: Get Smart, Leverage Your Research from Performancing
- Bill More, Work Less: The #1 Way Freelancers Can Make More Money from Write to Done
- How to Start Charging Your Dream Rates, and Get Away with It from Freelance Switch
- A Simple Way to Stop Clients from Rejecting Your Proposals from Freelance Folder
The Wise And Twisted Games Writers Play — It’s What We Do
I was asked the other day what writers do for fun. That’s a good question. So many posts focus on writing for work and work/home balance, very few pieces focus on the fun areas of the writing mind. While I can come up with an extensive list, I thought it would be fun to provide you with a list of cool places writers can have fun with the English language.
Here’s a list of some fun places for writers to hang out:
1. One Million Monkeys Typing is a writing site of a different sort. When you arrive on the page, you have several stories presented to you. You read the story, and as soon as it takes a turn you dislike, or if you have a better idea, stop, write the section you would like to write, and publish your version of events. The makers of this beta site have created a community there for writers and readers to hang out.
2. Free Rice uses a writer’s quest for knowledge for the benefit of those in need of food. On the game side of things, you will see a word and have to define it. When you give correct answers, you earn grains of rice, which are used to feed those in starving countries. This site builds your vocabulary while helping a charity. The way I see it, everyone wins.
3. Etymologic states it holds the title of the ‘Toughest Word Game On The Web.’ Well, the basic concept seems easy enough. They present you with a word and offer you a set of choices. You have to decide which country the word came from. Not as easy as you think It’s actually kind of addictive-aggravating.
4. Super Text Twist is available online, as a download, and through facebook. This game gives you a set of letters, and you need to make as many words out of the given letters as possible. It’s actually one of my favorite games to play. However, I play a slightly different version on the next site.
5. Filled with addictive games, Pogo has the best collection of word games I’ve seen in a long time. Honey Bees, Word Jong, and Word Craft are some I find myself playing on a regular basis. They do have a paid option, which is a must for me. I may or may not have guest passes for those interested
6. FunTrivia has a section designed specifically for creative writing fanatics. Their quiz section on contemporary literature and fiction is great. You can choose from a whole host of authors there, or you can head to other sections, which include mystery and science fiction. Just pick your favorite genre and away you go.
7. Language is a Virus contains another list of games designed for writers and lovers of the English language. One called Magnetic Poetry takes famous poems and breaks them into chunks. You need to put them back together. This site also contains all kinds of helpful tools for everything from title generators to programs that help you name characters in your stories.
Fellow writers, feel free to enjoy the addiction!
Blog Posts Versus Articles
Today’s post was written by fellow writing coach and freelance writer Kimberlee Ferrell of Freedom Writing. In addition to writing professionally, blogging, and consulting, this small town Iowa writer is the proud mother of two girls.
For beginning web writers, there are two main categories of writing you will come across. Article writing is writing informative essays about a specific topic, which are used on a client’s website or submitted to article directories. These can be search engine optimized, by using a specific percentage of keywords within the article. Blog posts are informative essays as well, although they can be less formal, and directed to the blog’s audience. Blog posts can be written for your own blog, or for your client’s blog.
Personally, I enjoy blogging more than article writing. With blogging, I can insert a splash of my personality within the posts, and have fun connecting with my audience. For me, writing articles is a very cut and dry process. I research my topic, choose an angle, and write a fact based article. Blog posts allow me to pick a subject I care about, and bring it to life.
I am also able to speak my opinion on many topics within blog posts. I can point out things about life, that a simple article on the topic might not be able to. For example, I could write an article about “Tips to Lose Weight.” This would list all of the little things you could do to get in shape. Or I could write a blog post about my personal weight loss experience, taking you on the journey with me. I like having that option, to share my world with my readers.
In my mind, articles are a static form of writing. You write the article, send it out into the world, and that is all. You rarely get a response from your readers about what you have published. With blog posts, you have the opportunity for immediate responses from your readers, via blog comments. Reading comments, replying to questions, and gaining additional information about a topic are all rewarding aspects of blogging.
What is your favorite form of web writing? There are no right or wrong answers, just personal preferences. I would love to hear what you all think.
