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If someone tells me that they are a writer, I don’t tend to question it. Anyone who loves to write and does so recreationally is indeed a writer. “Being a writer” is about more than just putting words on a page… it’s a way of seeing the world. However, there is a big difference between being a writer at heart and being a writer who can put money in the bank and food on the table from their writing.

As an editor of several blogs, I have to deal with a wide pool of writers on a regular basis and am often frustrated by inexperienced writers’ complete misconceptions surrounding what it means to be a professional writer. Let me be clear about one key point: earning a living as a writer takes more than just good writing. If you are just embarking on your writing career, let me say that again; Earning a living takes more than just good writing. In fact, in the past I have chosen to work with writers whose work might not have been top notch, but their professionalism and understanding of an assignment was higher than that of other writers who struggled with the demands of creating web copy.

Here then, are some of the top issues that as a writer you will need to face before deciding if this is really a career for you.

Be prepared to pay your dues

If you are dreaming of writing articles for Cosmopolitan or the New York Times, or believe that you will only write about topics that inspire you, and envision earning $1 per word that’s great. If you think that this will happen overnight you are in for a painful wake-up call. Most writers start out with writing jobs that are low paid and often painfully boring or repetitive and work their way up. The good news is that if you are willing to work hard you can build a strong portfolio and a stable of references that will earn you the better jobs, but it does take time, patience and perseverance.

You need to find your voice

This is a big problem among the bloggers that I get submissions from. Many can write a 500 word article, but only a few can write one that engages the reader, entertains, educates or holds their attention past the first paragraph. Make sure your work doesn’t fall into the blah, blah, blah black hole!

Get into good research habits.

Being a fast and efficient researcher will allow you to take on a wider range of topics and complete work faster. I have a stock of reliable reference sites for getting general background information fast, and I create a folder of bookmarks for each topic I tackle. That way I have references if needed and can quickly access the information if I have to write an article on a similar topic in the future.

Manage your time

Finding a way to earn a good hourly wage when you are being paid per word or per project can be challenging, but this is part of being a professional writer. When considering a project take into consideration the time it will take you to do research, formatting, keyword research or any other additional tasks that will accompany the actual writing. I strongly recommend making a writing schedule that allows you to quickly view your commitments and organize your deadlines.

Understand that you are writing for a client, not for yourself!
At the end of the day, the person who will judge your work is the person who is paying you. This is the major difference between writing for pleasure and writing for profit. You might not think that 300 words is enough to cover the topic of Facebook as a social phenomenon, but if that’s the brief you accepted then that is exactly what you will need to write.

About the author:

Angela Neal is a freelance writer and online marketing consultant. She has written articles for national magazines and newspapers in the US, Spain and the UK and for hundreds of client websites and blogs, including NBC. She currently writes about writing for Writers Remorse http://writersremorse.com. You can also find her at her own blog http://www.angelaneal.com.

I’ve always thought that if we don’t stretch ourselves, we don’t grow.

But stretching doesn’t always feel good. And sometimes we end up pulling things.

My friend asked if I wanted to go with her to a Zumba exercise class at the YMCA. I was, I’ll admit it, completely horrified. “No, I think I’m good. But thanks.” We continued our conversation and she said again, “Sure you don’t want to go to Zumba with me?” “No thanks.” I changed the subject.

Finally, she brought it up again. “I really think you’d enjoy it, Elizabeth. Why don’t we give that class a try tomorrow?” “Please don’t make me!” I said. Zumba combines all the things I don’t like—large groups of people, socializing, loud music, and an attempt at coordination—into one activity.

But I felt bad about turning down the opportunity. So when my son asked if I’d work out with him at the Y on Thursday, I agreed to do it (it wasn’t a Zumba class.) I walked on the treadmill, but then I hesitantly tried the weight machines. As of right now? I’m sore. But I did receive extra energy from the experience. And I felt proud that I’d given it a go.

Stretching as a writer is good, too. I’m the first to admit that I don’t have a lot of time to try something new. But I do write articles for a local parenting magazine from time to time, just to write something different.

Ways to Stretch as a Writer:
Try reading a different genre.
Try writing a different genre.
Experiment with short stories or drabbles.
Try writing more description.
Try writing less description.
Write a character that’s completely different from any character you’ve written before.
Try writing from a different POV than you usually use.
Try writing humor. Or try writing seriously.
Write a magazine article.
Enter a contest (watch those entry fees, though.)
Or continue writing your usual genre or style, but make it better—don’t be complacent.

What are you doing to stretch yourself?

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I got some author copies of Delicious and Suspicious yesterday! My July 6th release is just weeks away. Click here for my book release contest. Entering is easy…and you might win a $25 bookstore gift card, a signed copy of “Delicious and Suspicious,” and a “Delicious and Suspicious” tote bag. :)

Apparently on Thursdays I have a subconscious desire to take over everyone’s Google Readers with my posts. :) This is the second Thursday in a row that I’m writing for 4 different blogs (I’m counting this one.)

First up, I’m at Diane Wolfe’s excellent Spunk on a Stick blog, where I’m posting on writing settings—should you choose a real place or a fictitious one? If you choose an actual location, should you choose a town you live in? If not, how do you research your setting?

I’m also at fellow mystery writer Beth Groundwater’s blog for an interview. I’ve answered all Beth’s questions…see if you have any additional ones for me and I’ll be happy to respond in the comments.

It’s also my day at Mystery Lovers’ Kitchen today. If you feel like some blueberry stuffed French toast (above), then pop on over!

One thing that I’ve noticed with my writing is that I swing back and forth in my opinion of the draft I’m working on.

What I aim for is to feel good about where I am with the draft. Maybe it’s still a mess, but I’ll tell myself I’ve come a long way with it. Or maybe it’s in pretty decent shape and I’ll try to look more critically at it (because if I’m feeling breezy about a manuscript, it worries me.)

Then there are the days where I swing from one extreme to the other with my feelings toward the manuscript.

This is when I enjoy posts like this one by author Libba Bray (one of my all-time favorite articles…because I so completely emphasize). It explains how writing a novel is like a love story. I share it with writing friends when I think the process has gotten to them.

And this post on the Writing Roads blog outlines the phases of a writer—from optimism to defeatism.

It’s a little bit of humor from writers who understand the process and help us realize we’re not alone.

My July 6th release is just weeks away! Click here for my book release contest. Entering is easy…and you might win a $25 bookstore gift card, a signed copy of “Delicious and Suspicious,” and a “Delicious and Suspicious” tote bag. :)

I think that, as a writer, I spend a lot of time thinking about my protagonists’ strengths.

What are they good at? Where do they excel? How can I play to their strengths?

I’m sure that most writers do that. After all, our protagonist usually has to save the day. How else can our battle be won or our mystery solved, or our character’s love interest bewitched?

But most people have a major flaw: something that could bring us down if the wrong person knew about it.

Mine is my impatience. Since I’m frequently in a hurry, I’m more likely to make a mistake. Or get irritated when I’m stuck on hold waiting for customer service.

Character flaws can be really useful tools. Mostly because they create conflict for our character.

If our character has something that really, really bugs them? Then naturally we’re going to use it. Even a small thing could produce a little stress in a scene. So we can have our impatient character running a little late for something important—like a flight—then stick her in a long ATM line or in a traffic jam. We’ll make the reader just as anxious as the protagonist that they make it to the airport in time.

What if the flaw is something more than that? What if it’s in the category of fatal flaw or more of an Achilles’ heel? The kind of thing that falls in the Seven Deadly Sins category. So you could have a basically good protagonist, but their flaw is a pretty big one. This flaw could affect the way the character reacts to an event or how they approach a problem.

It gets a little sticky, because we don’t want our readers to lose respect for our protagonists. But what if we do have a protagonist who makes a (big) mistake—cheats on their wife or husband, becomes furious and says things that they shouldn’t have said that get them fired from a job or disowned or un-friended? What if their pride is their downfall? What if they’re so envious of a friend or a family member that they can’t have a normal relationship with them?

These types of flaws—lust, wrath, pride—can take our protagonists down and create conflict for our plot.

But how far can we go with it? (In my genre I can’t take it very far.) How bad can we make our characters before our readers aren’t cheering them on anymore?

How flawed is too flawed?

My July 6th release is just weeks away! Click here for my book release contest. Entering is easy…and you might win a $25 bookstore gift card, a signed copy of “Delicious and Suspicious,” and a “Delicious and Suspicious” tote bag. :)