Note on Blog Posts and Upcoming Materials

I'm getting ready to hop on a plane and go visit my folks in South America. I'll be there for the rest of 2007, so the blog activity may be reduced. I'm pretty sure you won't miss my posts during the holidays, though (you'll probably be busy drinking eggnog and eating ham). 

Okay. So, what's coming up? I have invited a student in USP's Master Program in Biomedical Writing to tell us about her experience taking the classes online.

Early next year, I will publish the updated second edition of Becoming a Medical Writer, with an exciting new bonus for those of you interested in Technical Writing.

Happy holidays!

Kindle, the new e-book reader by Amazon

No, my ebook is not available for Kindle. In fact, from the reviews I've read, it seems you can't read a PDF in this reader without first converting the file to MOBI (a format supported by Kindle).

So what is Kindle (1) and why am I talking about it here (2)?

1. Kindle is a little machine that can store up to 200 books, and uses an "electronic-paper" technology. It is supposed to look like real paper.
2. I love books, e-books and electronic stuff. I just couldn't resist!

However, because I haven't used it yet, I won't try to do a review here. Just check out the video on Amazon's Kindle page, and see what you think. If you like it, let me know!

Are You an Angry, Frustrated Freelance Writer?

By Yuwanda Black (Guest blogger)

Do You Recognize Yourself in These Signs?

As a freelance writer, it's very easy to become discouraged. Discouragement can lead to anger and frustration, which can stall your career - without you even realizing it. Following are signs to look for, and specific things you can do to get back on track.

1. Expending Negative Energy: Most freelancers surf the net looking for assignments. As you read job ad after job ad paying little to nothing, you boil over.

"Don't they realize I'm a professional, I have a family to feed, my skills are worth more than that?" So, what do you do?

You start to leave nasty comments and before you know it, you've spent two hours doing this. After logging off in disgust, you decide to take some time off because you're so mad you can't even focus.

Look at what this has cost you? Precious marketing time; not to mention focus.

Solution: Accept that there will always be jobs that don't pay enough. This is freelance writing after all. And while we should all earn a decent wage, there should also be world peace, enough food to feed the hungry and free medicine for those who can't afford it.

Not to make light of the situation, but focusing on what you can't change won't help. By NOT accepting low-paying assignments, you are sending a very powerful message. So, move on - if a job does not pay what you want, spend your time looking for ones that do, not sending nasty messages to job posters who offer low-paying assignments.

After all, the reason they're probably looking for help is they're where you want to be - a busy, working freelancer.

2. Output: As in, you haven't been doing any lately. Are you depressed over lack of work; not motivated because you are bored with work; and/or frustrated at the type of work you're doing?

Whatever your reasoning, as a freelance writer, you should always be producing - unless you are on vacation.

Many freelancers make the mistake of not working when there is no client project on their desk. Just because you are not working for a client doesn't mean that you don't put in 8, 9 or 10 hours a day.

Solution: This is one of the reasons I like article marketing - it forces me to constantly write, stay motivated and fresh. I may write about a new diet drug one day, or a new type of mortgage the next day, because as a freelance writer, my job is to write.

To this end, I keep my portfolio bulging with various samples; am always working on a new e-book or planning a new e-course.

Getting up and "going to work" every day is what I do - whether it's a client project or a "Yuwanda project," produce I must and produce I do.

3. Organization: As in, is your work hampered by your lack of organization - not only of the thoughts and tools you need to work with, but organization for the future of your business. Do you wonder, "Where will this freelance thing take me? Will I ever make enough to survive on this alone?"

Solution: If you find yourself thinking along these lines, then perhaps it's time you make a real plan for your future beyond just banging out the next client project.

Like any business, if you want freelance writing to be your full-time job, then you must plan for it - eg, create a full-fledged business plan. Target a niche, create an advertising budget and come up with a marketing plan.

In conclusion, frustration is the ever-present enemy of all who have a desire, but encounter obstacles. Embracing the obstacles and creating a plan to thwart them is the key; not expending negative energy railing against them.

Yuwanda Black is the publisher of InkwellEditorial.com: THE business portal for and about the editorial and creative industries. First-hand freelance success stories, e-courses, job postings, resume tips, advice on the business ofLaunch a Profitable Freelance Writing Career in 30 Days or Less - Guaranteed! freelancing, and more! Article Source here.

Staying Creative with Fiction Writing

I can't believe it's Thursday already and I haven't posted anything this week (in fact, this month). Well, but I have an excuse. November is the National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo).

National Novel Writing Month is a fun, seat-of-your-pants approach to novel writing. Participants begin writing November 1. The goal is to write a 175-page (50,000-word) novel by midnight, November 30.

Well, I took the challenge and have written more than 12,000 words so far. I've always wanted to write fiction but medical writing has consumed most of my time. (I did write a novel in high school, but that doesn't really count!). And since I'm the kind of guy that works better under the pressure of a deadline, NaNoWriMo was the perfect opportunity to get creative and write down a novel.

Perhaps you are not as passionate as me for novel writing, but you like poetry or theater (or even stand-up comedy). Well, there you go. Why don't you try writing a few verses or lines of dialog every now and then? You'll see that when you go back to your medical writing projects, you'll feel more creative and inspired. Perhaps you'll write even better.

Oh, and don't worry. I won't be posting excerpts of my novel here!

Writing for Magazines: Can you Make $5,000 for Writing One Article?

Did you know top consumer-health magazines pay up to $5,000 for a feature article?

Pay rates for consumer health writing, of course, depend on several factors: whether the article is to be published in print or online, the type of article, the word count of the article/or the number of pages and whether diagrams, line drawings or photographs are included. Generally speaking, any article submitted to a magazine goes to a specific article editor, whereas any pictures or photographs go to an art or photographic editor. Both will have specific guidelines and rates, depending on the specific requirements of that magazine.

The standard average industry rates for writers are a general guide, but the reality can be very different. Smaller consumer health and other magazines can only afford the lower rates, whereas the larger magazines can afford considerably more. However, this does not by any means guarantee that each sized magazine is the same. In fact, the rates vary greatly. The following are the basic ranges expected by writers (freelance/staff/ghost), whether writing consumer health articles or other articles:

Print publications (freelance, staff and ghost writers):

• General Copy/News Articles/News Releases - $5 to $500/page
• Brochures/fact sheets: $50 to $1,000/project
• General advertising copy: $8 to $150/hour
• Advertising articles: $0.10 to $2/word, $5 to $3,000/article or $8 to $100/hour
• Medical reports/technical medical articles/General Consumer Health articles: $0.10 to $2/word, $50 to $16,000/project, or $8 to $125/hour
• Government publications (news stories/news releases/medical studies/medical reports: $1 to $3/word, $50 to $100,000/project, or $8 to $125/hour
• Newsletters (written only): $0.10 to $1.50/word, $50 to $6,000/issue, or $8 to $80/hour

Online Magazine/Web Content/General Website/Blog publications (freelance, staff and ghost writers):

• All types of articles and projects: 0.10 to $3/word, $2 to $3,000/article, $8 to $100/hour, or $50 to $16,000/project

The important thing to remember is that the rate of pay can be higher for writers that editors are more familiar with or have worked with before. New writers tend to accept these rates without question, which can hinder their ability to earn a livable income. In fact, the difference in the earning capacity of a new writer and an established writer, both of whom may possess equal and exceptional talent, is simply that the established writer has learned to negotiate pay rates and has kept a portfolio of their published works (self-published and other) as proof of their abilities. This is something that every new writer has to learn.

Remember also that I offer an 8-week consumer-health writing home study course!

Five Habits For Writers

By Julie Gray (Guest blogger)

I have dear friend who recently told me that particularly on days when he feels frustrated about his writing, he asks himself – what did I do today that will move my writing career forward? And as he looks closely at that, he's usually surprised to find that he did a whole lot of things. It's just that like so much of life, forward movement is incremental, yes?

To paraphrase somebody – most of life is spent standing in line for something. But if it weren't for the small, pixilated steps, the larger picture can never come into focus. Every day, we are pointillist painters, we writers. And here are the five areas of your writing life that for my money, are going to collectively bring a career into focus.

Write Promote Network Learn Live well

That's right: WPNLL – pronounced – wipnill

So consider adding the following to your daily regimen:

WRITE every day. You might have more than one project you're working on; tend to at least one of them. And yes, generating ideas and spitballing is most productive and falls under this category, absolutely.

PROMOTE your material. Write and send query letters, enter screenwriting or prose competitions, follow up on calls, meetings and queries. Stay very on top of who has your material, when you'll hear back and what new opportunities have since cropped up.

NETWORK both with other writers and with professionals where possible. If you belong to a message board about writing or screenwriting, visit it daily seeking to build relationships. If you blog or read blogs, visit and comment. Keep building those relationships. Are you signed up for a class? How about a one hour Learning Annex course? Is there a festival or film community gathering in two weeks? Sign up. Continually seek opportunities large and small to create, sustain and nurture relationships with other writers and filmmaking aspirants of any stripe. Networking is extraordinarily powerful. It is impossible to overstate that fundamental truth.

LEARN more about the craft and the business constantly. Follow the trades. If the Hollywood Reporter or Variety are too much to absorb regularly, read Entertainment Weekly – a quasi-trade with pull-quotes, box office and celebrity news. Subscribe to Creative Screenwriting, Script Magazine or Written By. Sign up for classes, read books and see a lot of movies. Prose writers should subscript to Poets & Writers or Writer's Digest.

LIVE WELL by taking care of your essential core. We writers are sensitive souls. Pouring our hearts out onto the page is what we do. So be sure to exercise, get enough sleep, meditate or in some way return to your creative, essential self so that you can sustain and nurture the energy required to do steps one through four above. This one cannot be overstated or over-emphasized either. A burnt out writer doesn't produce good material and isn't fun to hang around with. Put your wellbeing before all else because everything you produce flows outward from that.

Know that life is good and writing is joyful. If this feels like work – well, it should, there's no candy-coating that – but it shouldn't feel like drudgery. Remember, nothing worth having comes easily. Any writer who makes a living at it is one who has worked long and hard for the privilege.

Real life moves much more slowly than the stories or screenplays we write. But if you can, do one thing to move your career forward today. Maybe it's that you just read this. Maybe you went hiking and had a great idea and stopped to write it down. Creation is the highest form of human expression. Tend it well.

Each day: Write, Promote, Network, Learn and Live Well. Wipnill©.

Side effects may include: productivity, career opportunities, dizziness and wealth.

Julie Gray is a mother, writer and story analyst living in Los Angeles, CA. www.thescriptwhisperer.com. Article Source here.

New Blog - Vaccine Risk Communication

Just a quick note to tell you about my other blog, in case this is a topic that interests you. Check it out here.