In this second part of our publishing success series, we will focus on what you can do before you pitch an idea to the site you want to write for. Yes, expect to do a lot of work, but it’s necessary if you don’t want to end up pitching titles that won’t be accepted. Recognizing early how your writing fits (or doesn’t) with a publication will save you time and effort.

Let’s take a look at how you can craft a standout pitch and some key details to consider when dealing with the site you hope to write for.

Craft a Standout Pitch

Want to pitch a title? Here are a few tips:

1. Give Sincere Compliments in Your Introduction

Compliments show the editor that you genuinely appreciate their publication, not just their ability to give you a byline. If you’ve been following them for a while, this should be easy.

For example, you can say, “I’m John Smith, a blogger with a passion for history. I read your article last month about the Jamestown mysteries, and I must say, I was impressed enough with it to visit the place for myself.“

Remember: Be sincere. Insincerity will backfire on you.

2. Be Original with Your Idea

Your pitch may be good, but if there’s already a similar article published on the website, the editor may turn it down unless you can put a new spin on the topic that will still be interesting for the site’s readers.

3. Emphasize How Your Idea Will Benefit Site Readers

This strategy is especially helpful if you’re not the most experienced or well-known writer in the editor’s queue. After outlining your pitch, say something like, “I think this will benefit your readers because…“

Or explain, in a sentence or two, how you’re going to gather information for the article (e.g., interviews, surveys, etc.) if your research will involve more than just regular online searches. You want to show the editor that you’re serious about your idea and committed to turning it into a full-blown article.

4. Include a Call to Action

As Rajiv has highlighted in his article on writing a professional query letter, editors often have tight schedules. Therefore, it’s essential to make your pitch email straightforward and easy to understand. Your submission should clearly indicate whether it’s a viable opportunity, eliminating any guesswork for the editor and making it easier for them to give you a quick response.

Always end your pitch with something like, “Let me know if this is a good fit for your publication” or “What do you think of this idea?“. If your title gets rejected, try to refrain from asking them what title will definitely be accepted for publication; that comes off as a little desperate and pushy. Instead, tell them you will write again with another pitch soon.

Iron Out the T&C and Payment Options

If the editor says “Yes” to your pitch, you’re likely doing a happy dance. If the answer is “No,” don’t fret. There are better uses for your rejected pitch. At this point, it’s your chance to prove that you’re a professional writer. This means you’re reliable, you know what you’re doing, and you’re easy to work with.

How Much to Charge

This is also the point where you discuss payment with your editor. Don’t make the mistake of negotiating payment only after your post is accepted or after it is published. Things can get complicated if payment is discussed at such a late stage.

Sometimes, a website’s submission guidelines will specify how much they pay for an article or for different types of articles. Other times, they won’t. In the latter case, you’ll need to negotiate a reasonable rate for your work. What’s a “reasonable” rate? There’s no definitive answer to that question.

You can refer to the standard rate for similar publications. Estimate the time and effort required to write your article, consider your expertise, and calculate an appropriate fee based on that. While you’re at it, include any extra charges for revisions, just in case.

Up for Negotiations

Now for the fun part: the negotiation process. There’s no one-size-fits-all strategy for negotiating, as the most appropriate strategy varies on a case-by-case basis. Ensure the final terms are fair for everyone involved. When haggling your price, consider the needs of the publication you’re writing for, as well as your own.

Find out when and how you’re going to be paid as well. Some websites pay on acceptance; others pay on publication. “Acceptance” means you’ll receive payment once your editor green-lights your piece. “Publication” means you’ll have to wait for your piece to show up on the website before you get paid, which could take weeks or months.

Payment Methods and Rights

Your target website might prefer popular payment services like PayPal or consider other options listed here. To learn more about invoicing your work, check out this professional invoicing guide.

In addition to rates, it’s essential to negotiate publication rights. These rights determine how a publication can use, re-use, and distribute your work across print and electronic media. Consult a lawyer or refer to understanding publication rights for writers before finalizing any agreements regarding rights with your editor.

Include crucial details like your single point of contact, kill fees, allowances for revisions/rewrites, and deadlines, as explained in this comprehensive guide to freelance contract clauses. If you have any concerns about the contract or the assignment itself, address them with your editor now. Avoiding potential issues is always better than dealing with problems later.

Your Work’s Not Done (Yet)

Now that you’ve sorted everything out and your post is written, polished, published, and paid for, you might think you can relax. However, you still need to put effort into marketing your article. The details of this will be covered in the third (and final) part of this series.

The post Get Published (Part 2): Tips for Writing and Publishing Success appeared first on Hongkiat.

In fact, 70 percent of us hear it every day – from our own minds. That, ladies and gentlemen, is what is known as impostor syndrome.

Contrary to what its name may suggest, impostor syndrome is not a disease. It’s a response to an inability to internalize one’s own accomplishments and successes and is characterized by feelings of fakery (“I’m not as good as they say I am.”), giving too much credit to luck (“Oh, that award? It was a fluke, really.”), and downplaying success (“What I accomplished isn’t a big deal; others have done it before.”).

It’s somewhat different from low self-esteem in that the person experiencing it actually does have something to be proud of but is somehow having difficulty acknowledging the fact.

Does that sound like you so far? If your answer is “Yes”, here’s what you can do to cope better with those feelings of fakery.

Acknowledge That You Have It

The idea of having any kind of “syndrome” (whether it’s technically a disease or not) is terrifying.

Who wants to go out and tell the world, “Hey, I have impostor syndrome!” anyway?

Still, if your belief that you’re a fraud is severely inhibiting your potential as a person, there’s no denying it: You have a problem, and you need to deal with it as soon as possible.

Understand Why You Have It

It may sound strange, but impostor syndrome happens most frequently to high-achieving individuals. Many of these individuals grow up in an environment where there’s immense pressure to excel, where family members are highly critical and/or conflicted, and where appearances are everything. (Of course, there are high achievers who are also well-adjusted individuals, but that’s another story altogether.)

For example, if you had five siblings who were all valedictorians in school, and you’re not, you may have always felt the need to prove yourself. Even when you graduated from school, landed a well-paying job, and became an achiever in your own right, you still think you’re not good enough, because you’ve internalized the idea that you’ll always be inferior to your more “naturally talented” siblings.

Once you realize and accept that what’s holding you back are your deep-seated feelings of inadequacy, rather than your actual abilities (which, in all likelihood, are pretty good), that’s the time you can begin to come to terms with your impostor syndrome.

Reframe Your Views on Success

Do you believe that successful people achieved what they did because they’re “special” in a way that you can never be?

You’re right. They’re special in their own way. They’re well aware of their ability to do something that no one else can do, and they took full advantage of that ability for their own benefit.

Surely, you can do the same?

Then again, you may be framing your success in terms of their success. As long as you keep doing that, you’ll never feel truly accomplished. To quote Max Ehrmann’s 1927 poem Desiderata, “If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain and bitter; for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.”

Instead, take a look at where you are today vis-á-vis where you were yesterday. If you’re one step closer to your idea of success, regardless of whether other people have already achieved what you want to achieve, that’s already a success in itself. It’s all a matter of keeping it up until the end.

Reframe Your Views on Failure

If you feel like even your tiniest mistakes set the wheels of the apocalypse in motion, that’s another sign of impostor syndrome.

Think of your mistakes as stepping stones rather than obstacles to success. Mistakes are a sign that you’re trying to grow outside of your comfort zone. Even in the unfortunate event that you end up going several steps backward because you did something wrong, you still have the choice to get up and move forward again.

If you decide to move forward, keep in mind that you don’t need to walk the same road you did before. What’s important is that you keep walking.

Don’t Equate Confidence with Arrogance

Let’s be clear on one thing: Overcoming impostor syndrome is not the same as becoming a more arrogant person.

Arrogance and impostor syndrome are both manifestations of the same problem: A distorted view of the self. Arrogant people exaggerate their best qualities and deny their worst ones, whereas people with impostor syndrome do the opposite.

What you want is to become a more confident person. Confident people have an accurate picture of both their strengths and weaknesses, aren’t afraid to put both of these on display, and have respect for themselves and others.

Keep Going At It

As much as we’d like to tell you that there’s a way to vanquish impostor syndrome instantly and forever, the truth is: There isn’t.

You’re trying to unlearn beliefs that took years to embed themselves in your psyche, so it’s probably going to take a while (read: a long time) before you finally stop calling yourself an “impostor”.

Also, you’ll keep encountering people and situations that will constantly test your self-confidence. With all that in mind, we do hope that this post will help keep those “impostor” feelings in check, and enable you to reach your full potential.

Have you ever had a brush with impostor syndrome? If yes, how did you deal with it? Please do share in the comments section below.

The post How to Overcome Impostor Syndrome Easily appeared first on Hongkiat.

Overloading yourself with work in pursuit of earnings is understandable but risky. Remember, feeling tired is normal occasionally, but given that your income heavily relies on your productivity, frequent downtimes are a luxury you can’t afford.

If you’re encountering difficulties managing your workload, and reducing your client list isn’t feasible, or if you’re thinking about taking on another project, these strategies might be just what you need.

Read Also:  How to Create Your Ideal Client Profiles For Freelancers

Know Yourself

Before delving into the tools and techniques for effective multitasking, it’s crucial to consider a key factor: you, the freelancer. Your unique mix of strengths and weaknesses plays a pivotal role in how well you can handle multiple clients.

Your personal traits directly influence your capacity to manage various projects simultaneously. For instance, if you’re naturally a quick worker or good at multitasking, managing 10 clients could be feasible. However, if you’re prone to working at a slower pace, experience health issues often, or struggle with stress, opting for fewer, lighter, or more lucrative projects might be ideal for you.

Read Also:  How to Deal with Insecurities for Freelancers

Be Clear On The Project Details Per Client

Now that you know yourself, it’s time to get to know your clients and what they expect from you. You can do this by asking questions related to the project, such as:

What Is My Expected Output?

Often, your expected output may not be the same as that of your client’s. If you’re a writer, for instance, you may think that filling your client’s website with five 1,000-word blog posts is better than your client’s proposal of 10 500-word posts. Discuss and iron out these concerns before anything else.

Read Also:  How to Work Better with Clients

What Are My Responsibilities?

Make sure you know exactly what tasks you’re expected to perform, and to what extent. Otherwise, you’ll easily fall victim to “scope creep”, or a situation where you end up taking on more work than you signed up for – and not getting commensurate compensation for it!

Read Also:  10 Roles of Freelancers (How to Manage Them)

How Long Is The Project Going To Take?

Some freelance projects take a few months to wrap up. Others may turn into ongoing relationships that last for years. Ask your client whether s/he has an estimated project timeframe, and if there’s a possibility that the project may be extended.

How Often Are You Expected To Communicate With/Update The Client?

If you’re lucky, your client will trust you enough to leave you to your own devices. Otherwise, set a regular schedule for meetings and updates (e.g. 30 minutes every Friday at 8 AM in your client’s timezone).

What’s The Payment System?

PayPal may be the most convenient payment option if you and your client are literally continents apart, but your client may prefer other services. Also, discuss with your client whether you prefer to be paid upfront or by the end of the project. (Hint: For your protection, it’s best if you receive at least partial payment upfront.)

Once you’ve covered all bases, decide whether you want to accept the project, given your current workload, financial needs, career goals, values, and personality. If it’s a “Yes”, create a contract tailored to each client. A contract ensures that the project’s terms and conditions are clear to all parties, and will save you plenty of headaches should any problems arise in the future.

Be Professional

After considering the details mentioned above, it should be easier to create a schedule. Keep in mind that each of your clients expects you to do your work to the best of your ability, so make sure you give enough time for each project – with reasonable allowance for emergencies.

In case emergencies do happen (e.g. sickness, accidents, hardware failure), inform your affected clients as soon as possible. As long as you’ve already proven to them that you are a trustworthy, reliable, and skilled professional who’s serious about overcoming a temporary setback, they should understand. (If they don’t, wrap up the project as soon and as well as you can, and let them go – nicely! – without giving them any indication that you want to work with them again.)

If one project begins to conflict with another for any reason (e.g. one client springs last-minute revisions on you, forcing you to abandon a project with another client), decide which project you will do first, and which one will be temporarily left in the back burner. For the latter, you may be forced to ask for deadline extensions, as the case may be. (Don’t overdo it, though!)

Use Project/Time Management Apps

This one is debatable, as pointed out here, since the tools are only as good as the people who use them. However, if you’re the type of person who prefers to concentrate on your multiple projects rather than think too much about details like the number of work hours logged, these sort of tools can be handy.

Read Also:  Top Project Planning Tools Every Freelancer Should Know

Conclusion

There’s no groundbreaking secret to juggling multiple clients, really. It’s a matter of knowing what you can and can’t do, having and sticking to clear-cut goals, being prepared for the worst, and thinking about things as thoroughly as you can.

The post A Guide to Juggling Multiple Freelance Clients appeared first on Hongkiat.

So we bring today a list of apps that can help you do more with your LinkedIn profile. The list includes everything from knowledge builders and business development tools to networking apps, powerful search engines, and free templates to help you better approach a potential client. Let’s jump right in.

Official LinkedIn Apps

Linkedin (Google Play)

LinkedIn for Android is the most popular social media platform for businesses and professionals. You can post jobs, search for jobs, check out salary listings, get referrals, promote your business, and expand your professional network. There are also guides and insights for professional development.

Linkedin (iOS)

The iOS app for LinkedIn gives you all the features of the website. Being an all-rounder platform for both job professionals, it gives a great many options for job seekers and recruiters alike. You can also find a lot of material on professional development and improving your business and career.

Linkedin Chrome Extension

Google Chrome offers a useful browser extension for LinkedIn. The extension gives you notifications of new activity. Plus, you can go directly to the website with just one click.

3rd-party LinkedIn Apps

Dux-Soup LinkedIn Automation

Dux-Soup is a LinkedIn automation tool that allows you to engage with potential clients and interested parties through engaging messages. You can use it to send personalized connection requests and direct messages on LinkedIn.

There is also an option to filter the search results of potential clients, find ideal LinkedIn prospects, and hyper-target your prospects. Plus, it can seamlessly integrate with your CRM platform.

Hunter.io

As the name says, Hunter is a tool to find the email addresses of your potential clients or just about anyone in any professional field. You can find the person by their names or email addresses, and it will give you the most authentic and verifiable results.

Hunter also features an email verifier that helps you check any email address so you can send emails to the right people. Moreover, it adheres to the data transparency policy as every email they share has public sources.

LeadGibbon

Lead Gibbon is a useful extension for LinkedIn that is ideal for business developers, sales, and marketing professionals. With this tool, you can find the correct email addresses of prospected clients through the Sales Navigator.

Lead Gibbon has a huge lead database of email addresses from various industries and professional fields. Also, it gets integrated with your favorite CRM in minutes.

Wiza

Wiza is your answer to a tool that collects information on potential clients and helps you build your network. Ideal for both recruiters and sales professionals, it helps you create a mailing list of ideal profiles so you can connect with them at your own pace.

Through its Chrome extension, Wiza scrapes hundreds of prospects from LinkedIn as real-time data in one go. You can add new/ accurate people’s emails to your list and export the data as a spreadsheet.

Linked Helper

LinkedIn Helper is a software that takes the hassle out of LinkedIn B2B marketing and promotion. This all-rounder tool takes care of sending personalized messages to prospects, sending invites to 2nd and 3rd-level contacts, and auto-responding to your connections.

It also features a built-in CRM to help you manage your contacts and their information or you can integrate it with a third-party CRM of your choice.

eLink Pro Marketing

eLink is a marketing tool for LinkedIn. As a browser extension, the tool views around 5000 LinkedIn profiles on your behalf, and these people are notified that their profiles have been viewed. As a result, most of these people visit back your profile and can be connected with potential clients.

You can also download a list of potential clients directly to Excel. A good number of look-backs that you receive with eLink can potentially engage with your business, thus giving you solid leads.

The post 10 LinkedIn Apps You Need to Know appeared first on Hongkiat.

For example, how do you beat writer’s block? How do you develop the habit of writing every day? How do you flesh out the finer details for your latest historical novel? How do you make your alternate sci-fi universe more believable? How do you solve that annoying tip-of-the-tongue problem?

Luckily, there are websites that help you solve those problems, or at least make them more bearable. They help your story come to life, through exercises and practice, advice and motivation. You’d be surprised with what you find in this list of sites fiction writers should visit.

Keep in mind that this is by no means an exhaustive list, but it is meant to address the most common of storyteller woes.

Writer’s Block – 750 Words

According to creator Buster Benson, the idea behind 750Words.com is to help you develop the habit of writing 750 words (or three pages of 250 words each) every day, no matter how crude, unfiltered, or unedited those words may be.

The site generates a monthly score card to help you track your progress, and saves copies of your writing, in case you need to revisit them for any reason.

Research Aid – OneLook (Reverse Dictionary)

While writing your story, there will be times when you have to stop and ask: “What’s the word that means (insert definition here)?” Obviously, a normal dictionary won’t be helpful here, because dictionaries are designed to help you look up unknown definitions of known words, not the other way around.

In this case, you need OneLook’s reverse dictionary, which helps you search for words that best describe or sum up the definition or description you have in mind.

For example, if you type “urge to travel” in the search bar, the system will return “wanderlust” and all other related words.

Research Aid – Dictionary of Symbolism

In good fictional works, even the tiniest details have meaning and significance. A flower, for instance, can symbolize either romantic love (as in the case of red roses) or happiness (as in the case of sunflowers).

If you want to know whether you used the right symbol to express a concept in your story, you can always refer to the University of Michigan’s Dictionary of Symbolism.

Research Aid – Best of History Websites

Even if you can invoke “artistic license” as an excuse to get creative with your historical or medieval fantasy novel, it’s always better to keep the details as realistic and believable as possible.

If you need help in this area, look no further than BestofHistoryWebsites.net, a comprehensive resource for serious history researchers.

It boasts of over 1200 annotated links to history websites, and claims to be recommended by the likes of the New York Public Library, the BBC, Princeton University, among others.

Research Aid – The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction

Do you want to write a story with a science fiction element (e.g. time travel), and ensure that your take on that element hasn’t been done before?

If you look it up on “The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction”, you might find at least one entry that explains the element, talks about how authors have used it throughout history, and relates it to other useful entries.

The encyclopedia also has entries on fantasy elements here.

Inspiration – Advice To Writers

At some point in your writing career, you’re going to question why you chose a life of pounding away at your keyboard, when you don’t have a “real” guarantee that you’ll land on the New York Times’ bestseller list.

If you’re not ready to throw in your writing towel yet, head over to Jon Winokur’s site at Advice to Writers, and get your daily dish of wisdom slash inspiration from the world’s finest writers.

Inspiration – M. Kirin’s Writing Blog

M. Kirin’s Writing Blog aims to set itself apart from your usual Tumblr blogs as a one-stop shop for budding writers.

Here, you’ll find story seeds, weird prompts, answers to OC (Original Character) questions, writing advice, and writer positivity quotes.

Indie Authors News

Indie Authors News is an online magazine for indie fiction writers that features writing tips, interviews, self-publishing, and free e-books for budding writers.

You can also promote your book or yourself as an author through this platform.

These are just nine sites of the many thousands of other websites out there, available for the benefit of fiction writers. If you know of other sites that have greatly helped you in your fiction writing career, do share them in the comments section.

The post Helpful Writing Sites For Fiction Writers appeared first on Hongkiat.

During the "trough" times — or "famine periods", if you will — you have to be extra careful since it’s when you’re most vulnerable to being upset, desperate, and ready to take on any job, no matter how degrading the work and/or the pay. But you know what? There are better ways to deal with "troughs" than settling for the low-hanging fruit.

If you have less work at the moment, you have more free time to focus on tasks that can help with your freelance business. These tasks increase your productivity, flex your entrepreneurial muscles, and, most importantly, give your business a push in the right direction, whether you’re in a "crest" or a "trough".

1. Pitch Guest Posts to Websites in Your Niche

Do you have any skills, knowledge, or experience that the Average Joe can’t easily learn/fake? Use these to your advantage by pitching article ideas to websites that align with your interests and expertise.

You can start with some websites that pay you to write, but not before reading Hongkiat’s excellent articles on the do’s and don’ts of guest posting.

By the way, use guest posting in moderation. If you have something to say, and can put a unique yet grounded spin on what you want to say, then by all means send in that pitch. If you’re only guest posting for the exposure and backlinks at the expense of your readers, there’s a good chance Google will penalize you for that.

2. Update Your Online Profiles

If you’ve learned new skills, gained more experience, or just finished a major project you’re proud of, it can only do you good to have your professional online profiles reflect that.

You never know whether clients look you up online before hiring you, and if this infographic is any indication, there’s at least a 90 percent chance of that happening.

Also, if your freelance rates are available for public viewing, you might want to update those too. You don’t want to be in an awkward situation where you have to explain to a client why you’re charging 50 dollars per hour today, when your Odesk profile says you only charge 10 dollars per hour!

3. Learn New Skills (or Hone Existing Ones)

Now that your schedule is wide open, you don’t really have an excuse not to improve your current skill set. If you want to keep your core skills (e.g. writing, designing) nice and sharp even without a job, try initiating a pet project.

The great thing about pet projects is that you have full control over everything: the pacing, the deadlines, the artistic direction, etc.

You might also want to read more books, take more courses, and keep abreast of the latest developments in your industry so you won’t feel "rusty" or "out of touch". Networking with other freelancers, especially the more experienced ones, is likewise a step in the right direction.

4. Organize Your Paperwork

It can be nightmarish to deal with paperwork, but that doesn’t change the fact that contracts, invoices, feedback survey forms, and the like are indispensable for the serious freelancer. These documents can easily get lost in your computer or cloud drives, so it’s a good idea to keep them organized while you still have the time.

Here are a few more posts (and featured tools) to help you organize your paperwork:

• 8 Tips To Create An Organized & Productive Home Office
• 10 Tips To Better Productivity With Evernote
• Google Keep – Organize & Save Your Thoughts
• Saving And Organizing Web Pieces With Keeeb

5. Market Yourself

The word "marketing" tends to conjure up images of sleazy, smooth-talking salesmen who care more about fattening their wallets than giving customers value for their money. It’s not surprising, then, that most creatives – including you, perhaps? – cringe at the mere mention of that word.

Now that your potential competition is on the rise, though, you can no longer afford to just let your talent speak for itself. You have to work harder to get yourself noticed by setting up a website, showcasing your work through that website, and promoting the same through social media.

Of course, even while you’re doing all that marketing, adding value to your clients should be your utmost priority. "Value", in this context, is not so much what your unique qualities are as to how your unique qualities can help a client achieve a specific goal.

For example, if you’re a writer, your client won’t care much about a claim like "I can write high-quality articles", unless you can re-phrase that as "I can produce content that will bring your website a high volume of traffic".

Takeaway

Just like any other business, freelancing has its "crests" and "troughs". You can’t always avoid the troughs, but you can cope with them in a healthier manner.

The post 5 Ways to Stay Productive (Even When You Are Jobless) appeared first on Hongkiat.

Suppose you set aside an hour every weekday combing through the 300+ new jobs on your Odesk or Elance feed. That translates to 20 hours per month (for 20 working days) spent on job hunting alone. That’s a lot of time spent on a task not directly related to your work. And, as you know, time is something you can’t afford to waste as a freelancer.

Luckily, there are ways to cut down your job hunting hours. One of them is to identify jobs you’d probably be better off not applying for in the first place. If you see any of the following phrases on an ad, it’s best to move on to the next one.

"Lowest Bidder Gets the Job"

Translation

The job poster wants to hire the cheapest freelancer, plain and simple.

Explanation

As a freelancer, you’re a businessperson. You understand the need to keep costs to a minimum, especially in the early stages of your venture. At the same time, you know that it’s suicide not to invest in an essential resource (e.g. a skilled and experienced partner) to propel your business to where you want it to be.

If a potential client seems to care more about saving a few bucks today at the expense of greater value over the long run, you’d be in for a bumpy ride – not just financially – should you agree to work with such a client.

"This is an Easy Job"

Translation

Don’t expect a high rate, because even a blindfolded monkey could do this job.

Explanation

You know that writing a blog post, designing a website, creating a program, or planning a marketing campaign is far from an easy job. You put in a considerable amount of time, effort, and money to get these projects off the ground, so surely you deserve a commensurate rate for your trouble?

"No Milestones or Upfront Payment"

Translation

I’d love to work with you right now, but I have some reservations.

Explanation

When a client doesn’t want to talk to you about milestones or upfront payments, it’s usually not a good sign. It could mean that the client previously worked with a freelancer who turned out to be a flake, so he now distrusts freelancers in general.

Maybe he doesn’t have the money to pay you at the moment, but he might pay you in the future (or not). Or, maybe he’s hired more than one freelancer, and is still deciding which one of you is worth it.

In any case, do you really want to work with someone who doesn’t trust you on some level? Good freelancer-client relationships are built on trust, among other things.

"I Will Not Pay Higher Than X Amount"

Translation

I have no room for negotiations, sorry.

Explanation

It’s one thing for a client to limit his budget to X amount. It’s another to imply that you can’t negotiate a higher rate under any circumstances. If you feel up to it, you can apply for a job like this, as long as you’re prepared to use your most powerful negotiating tactics.

Remember, negotiation isn’t about "one-upping" the other party. It’s about reaching a mutually beneficial agreement.

"Send Me a Free Sample"

Translation

Yay, I have a freebie! Thanks!

Explanation

Samples show clients that you’re not just putting on airs when you talk about being the "best" in your field. That said, if someone asks you to make a custom sample from scratch, even after seeing your best portfolio pieces, you can bet that person is just looking for free work.

"I SPEEK LYK DIZ!!!"

Translation

I’m not that much of a professional.

Explanation

This is a tricky one to use as a gauge for a client. Some well-written ads have terms that will make any decent freelancer bawl their eyes out (e.g. "I want 8 1000-word articles a day at $1/article"); others demonstrate a less-than-decent command of the language, but if you take quick glance at their "Testimonials" section, the freelancers seem to be satisfied with the clients in question.

Still, if a job poster doesn’t bother to write readable and detailed ads, you have to wonder what else they don’t bother with.

Conclusion

Looking for work is one of the hardest parts of freelancing, so make the most of your job hunting efforts. Try to apply for jobs where your skills, experience, and values are a fit, you can further hone your existing skills, and you can get a portfolio-worthy piece.

Sure, it’s okay to take on less-than-ideal jobs when you need them, but then, why saddle yourself with the added stress?

The post 6 Phrases in Freelance Job Ads that Raise A Red Flag appeared first on Hongkiat.

It depends on what’s written in the subject line.

See, the subject line tells you, at a glance, whether the sender’s message – or, more accurately, the sender’s purpose – is worth your attention. As a sender, you can either write the subject line right, or you can do one of the following things, which will definitely get your email pushed aside.

Recommended Reading: Send Anonymous Emails: 20 Sites To Keep Your Identity Hidden

1. Get Too “Cutesy”

Example:

"Bet you won’t be able to resist opening this e-mail! "

Why it doesn’t work:

It’s one thing to be witty. It’s another to come across as trying too hard, which is exactly the impression you’ll get from the sample e-mail above. When you’re in doubt about how to write your subject line, remember this: Clarity trumps cleverness. You can combine both, of course, but that takes some practice.

What can work:

"This e-mail will help you today"

2. Type in ALL CAPS

Example:

" VERY IMPORTANT E-MAIL"

Why it doesn’t work:

Your e-mail may be the most urgent in the history of urgent e-mails, but if your subject line looks like the online equivalent of shouting, it’ll still get ignored. Use the “CAPS LOCK” button only when necessary (e.g. proper nouns like John Doe, Empire State Building, World Cup).

What can work:

"Very Important E-mail"

3. (Ab)use Punctuation Marks

Example:

" Please, Please, PLEASE open this e-mail!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Why it doesn’t work:

Punctuation marks have their place, yes, but as with the “CAPS LOCK” button, that place isn’t the subject line (most of the time). Besides, a subject line that looks as though it was written by a drunk 15-year-old at 3 AM doesn’t exactly earn you points in the professionalism department.

What can work:

"Please open this e-mail"

4. Promote, Promote, and Do Nothing But Promote

Example:

" Random Product for Sale!"

Why it doesn’t work:

Your recipient may be stingier than Ebenezer Scrooge, but if you at least specify a benefit in your subject line – rather than being a little too blatant in your attempt to part your recipient with their money – you’ll get a better response.

What can work:

"Don’t Miss This 50% Discount on [Insert Product Here]"

5. Be Vague

Example:

" E-mail "

Why it doesn’t work:

Okay, I know it’s an e-mail (thanks, Captain Obvious!), but what kind of e-mail is it? Is it an uplifting message about getting through another boring day at the office? Or is it an ongoing promo about a product I’ve been dying to buy for the past few months? C’mon, don’t make me waste my next few seconds figuring that out for myself!

What can work:

"A message about "

6. Be Generic

Example:

" News Alerts from The Daily News Deliverer"

Why it doesn’t work:

This one may be slightly more descriptive than a vague subject line, but it’s no better. Why? Because it doesn’t give the recipient an urgent reason to open your e-mail other than: “Hey there! We hope you’re willing to waste a few precious minutes trying to find something interesting in here!”

What can work:

"Breaking News: ‘Daily News Deliverer’ Figures Out How to Write Subject Lines"

7. Write Kilometric Subject Lines

Example:

" This e-mail will help you ditch that soul-sucking corporate job, find a beautiful wife, buy an equally beautiful house in a swanky neighborhood…"

Why it doesn’t work:

Yes, your subject line should be descriptive, but not to the point that it’s longer than the entire border of Russia. In fact, a study found that e-mails with 6-10 word subject lines are more likely to be opened than e-mails with 11-15 word subject lines. (Fun Fact: Most marketers are used to doing the latter.)

What can work:

"This e-mail will help you live your dream life"

8. Write Nothing

Example:

" [no subject] "

Why it doesn’t work:

If there’s nothing written in an e-mail’s subject line, it’s reasonable for the recipient to assume that there’s nothing worth reading in the e-mail either. That said, if the reason you don’t have a subject line is an honest mistake (e.g. you clicked the “Send” button too soon), you can always resend your e-mail, along with a sincere apology and a polite request to disregard the previous e-mail.

What can work:

""

A (parting) reminder on how to get it right

Okay, we’re finally done with how not to write e-mail subject lines. Now what?

We start writing them right, of course. We start writing subject lines that:

• stand out, in a good way, from the usual drivel that clogs up people’s inboxes
• concisely describe the e-mail’s contents, and
• clearly spell out to the recipient what they’ll gain from opening the e-mail.

If you don’t want to bother with subject lines, you can always communicate with others the old-fashioned way: either through snail mail, or through face-to-face conversations.

The post 8 Types of Email Titles That Often Get Ignored appeared first on Hongkiat.

Seems like a lot of work, eh? That’s not really an issue if blogging is nothing more than a hobby to you. But when your entire livelihood depends on your ability to churn out posts on a daily basis, spending too much time polishing each post is impractical and dangerous to your business.

Of course, quality isn’t something you should sacrifice, no matter how clogged up your blogging schedule is. To solve this dilemma, you can either hire an editor to clean up your work, or purchase editing software online.

But then, in those cases, there’s no real guarantee that you’ll get what you pay for. So what’s a blogger who’s strapped for time and cash to do? Why, use these free editing tools available online, of course!

1. After the Deadline

After the Deadline (AtD) doesn’t just flag and give suggestions for your spelling, grammar, and style. It also concisely explains the reasons behind the corrections given. That means that the longer you use AtD, the better a blogger you become!

According to the developers, AtD can:

• Recommend the right word 90 percent of the time;
• Detect approximately 1,500 misused words;
• Help you write clearly and concisely using thousands of rules in "Plain English" style
• Use statistics to find exceptions to grammar rules.

AtD is available as a plugin, add-on, or extension for platforms like WordPress, bbPress, Firefox, Google Chrome, OpenOffice.org Writer, and the IntenseDebate comment system.

2. ProWritingAid

Like AtD, ProWritingAid not only tells you what to improve, but also how to improve. It has the ability to generate a detailed analysis on overused words, sentence length, writing style, plagiarism, cliches, redundancies, "sticky" sentences, consistency, and the like.

Although you need to download the Premium version to enjoy all of its features, ProWritingAid’s free version is enough for most types of blog posts.

3. EditMinion

(This tool is no longer available)

Don’t let the site’s inelegant design fool you. EditMinion takes only a few seconds to check your work for the usual signs of weak writing, like adverbs, overuse of "said", passive voice, ending with prepositions, tricky homonyms and more.

EditMinion generates a report card for your reference, and allows you to add "hashtags" for easier editing. As of this writing, though, the site is still in Beta stage, so use it with care!

4. HemingwayApp

Ever wish you had Hemingway’s terse yet punchy writing style? Well, your wish can come true now, thanks to the brilliant minds behind HemingwayApp. Here, your copy will be assessed based on readability, number of adverbs, number of complex words, and number of times you use the passive voice.

The app also detects spelling errors, although it’s not much help in the grammar department. In case you need to use it offline, a desktop version of the app is also available for $5.

5. WordCounter

Whether you want to check for keyword frequency, or you just have a tendency to be repetitive with words, WordCounter.com is the answer. As its name suggests, WordCounter counts and ranks words according to frequency. The apps is great for reducing redundancy and/or repetitive writing in your copy.

You can also include "small" words, use only root words, and adjust the number of words listed by the app. You can use this primarily as an analysis tool, checking your drafts as you keep honing them to perfection.

6. ClicheFinder

Do cliches drive you crazy? If "Yes", ClicheFinder might be a godsend for you. Just paste your post in the space provided, click the "Find Cliches" button, and presto! Every cringe-worthy phrase will be highlighted in red. You can either rewrite these phrases to make them sound simpler and fresher, or toss them into the back-burner like the blights on language that they are (har har)!

If you experience the message "Unhandled Exception: An unhandled exception was thrown by the application," don’t be alarmed. It’s possible that your text doesn’t contain any cliches at all, so the system’s going all wonky on you.

Wrap Up

Naturally, all these programs have their pros and cons. Tools are only as good as the people who use them, and these six editing tools for bloggers are no different. It’s still up to you to decide whether their suggestions/corrections to your blog post are worth it or not. In any case, here’s to effective and efficient editing!

Do you know other free, downloadable, and/or safe editing programs for bloggers that haven’t been featured here? Share them in the comments section!

The post 6 Free Editing Tools to Improve Writing for Bloggers appeared first on Hongkiat.

These initial reactions are understandable; after all, rejection can beat anyone’s ego to a bloody pulp. Regardless, when it comes to your rejected pitch, you might want to simmer down and clear your head first.

Recommended Reading: Guest Posts – 10 Tips To Distinguish The Good From The Bad

Once you’re in a better mood, you can take a second look at your pitch and:

Revise It

The thing about rejections is this: they are not meant to be taken personally. Remember that a rejection of your idea is not necessarily a rejection of you, and it can happen for a number of reasons, such as:

• The site’s guest post guidelines weren’t followed to a T.
• The topic has already been covered on the site.
• The topic is too common in the industry.
• The topic isn’t in line with the site’s niche.
• The pitch has too many typos and other critical errors.
• The pitch doesn’t demonstrate why you’re the most qualified person to write the article.
• The pitch feels more like marketing material for you than a potentially valuable resource for the site’s readers.
• Your writing style/voice doesn’t mesh with the site’s.

If any of the above seems true in your case, go over your pitch again, reflect on how it can be improved, and edit. You might want to ask for help on the editing part, lest you overlook any errors in spelling, grammar, structure, flow, facts and figures, etc.

Read Also: Guest Posting – 8 Tips To Getting Your Submissions Published

When you’re done, send your revised pitch to your target site again. If you have second thoughts about doing this because you don’t want to appear pushy or desperate, you can…

Pitch another Website

As shown in some of the reasons above, the rejection of your pitch may have zero connection to whether it’s a "good" idea. For example, your idea on "How to Write a Blog Post" may be helpful for beginners, but if you’re pitching that to a site that has already written dozens of articles on advanced topics like "How to Combine Blogging and E-mail Marketing for Maximum Conversion", your pitch probably won’t fly.

Before you pitch any site, ask yourself: "Is this a good fit for the site?" If it’s a "Yes", send in your idea and do your best to convince the site’s owners that you’re capable of crafting a unique, creative and/or useful article out of that idea. Otherwise…

Publish It in Your Online Portfolio

What if you can’t find any site willing to accept your pitch, but you still want to turn your idea into a full-blown article? In that case, consider adding the article to your online portfolio. The great thing about doing this is that you own all rights to the piece, since you’re the one who wrote and published it on your own site.

Of course, just because you have free rein over your self-published article doesn’t give you the excuse to churn out half-baked work. Since the article is part of your professional portfolio, you still want it to show off the best of your abilities to prospective clients.

Read Also: Resurrect Your Deceased Designs And Make Them Work For You

Throw It Away

Sometimes, you just have to accept that your pitch is "bad" – plain and simple. "Bad" can mean a lot of things. It could be that your idea has already been done to death, so even if you publish the finished piece on your own website, you’ll only end up with a redundant article or, worse, search engine fodder.

It’s also possible that your idea is good, but you don’t really have the expertise or writing chops to expound on it for your intended readers. When you have a "bad" pitch on your hands, it’s probably best to leave it and move on. You don’t want to stay with an idea that will give you heartaches because you can’t write or publish it, do you?

Read Also: 6 Simple Tips To Write Your Next Killer Post

Keep It

On the flip side, letting go of your "bad" idea may turn out to be easier said than done. You feel like a mother who abandoned her baby on the doorsteps of an orphanage, even though she could’ve taken good care of her child otherwise.

Maybe you’re just not ready to construct an article out of your idea yet. Maybe you need to file it away for now, so you can come back to it later when you run out of pitches in the future. It’s always a good habit to avoid waste – especially when your "trash" today can be someone else’s "gold" tomorrow.

Read Also: 3 Fatal Mistakes To Avoid In Guest Blogging

Takeaway

A healthy dose of resilience, optimism and persistence can go a long way not just in your guest posting and writing skills, but also your freelancing career as a whole.

Don’t throw away your guest post pitch immediately after it’s rejected. Instead, try to figure out how else you can profit from it first, before you give it a one-way trip to the nether world of Ideas Best Left Forgotten.

The post 5 Things to Do with Your Rejected Guest Post Pitch appeared first on Hongkiat.

Whether that awesome “something” will be forgotten after a few days or even a few minutes, doesn’t matter – because that’s just how the Internet works. Then again, being awesome on the Internet doesn’t mean relegating yourself to "flash-in-the-pan" status.

With 2015 just around the corner, maybe it’s about time you take a look at what steps you can take to be an awesome netizen.

Read Also:  The Only New Year Resolution List You Need

To be consistently awesome, you need to:

1. Be A Creator, As Well As A Curator

Sharing stuff is great. Creating stuff to be shared is even better. If you have a creative side that you’ve always wanted to indulge, now’s the time to do it! After all, what better time than the new year, right?

Every moment you’re alive is the right time to indulge your passion in writing, painting, designing, etc. (Hey, you only have one life, after all.)

2. Share Only The Stuff You Genuinely Care About

Okay, so you’re a thousand percent positive that you have no creative inclinations whatsoever. That’s okay.You can still support the creative work of others by sharing these works on social media. Better yet, buy a piece from these creators, and let them know that their efforts are much appreciated.

Also, it helps plenty when you’re genuinely interested in the stuff you share on social media – rather than just sharing for the sake of gaining attention. After all, social media sites have enough “noise” as it is.

Read Also: Top Tips & Resources To Creating Content People Want To Share

3. Reach Out To Other Online Creators

Creativity doesn’t happen in a vacuum. Sure, you’re ultimately the best judge of your own work, but how will you know whether your work needs improvement if you don’t have another set of fresh, objective eyes to evaluate it?

You can contact a creator you’ve always admired via social media, and pick their brains regarding things that bother you about your work. Don’t feel intimidated about this; most creators are friendly and willing to answer questions. Just make sure your questions are politely phrased, and that they can’t be answered by a simple Google search.

Read Also:  How to Get Buzy People to Answer You

4. Be An Activist, Not A Slacktivist

It’s one thing to share a post about impoverished children, and leave it at that. It’s another to share that same post, get out of your house, and hand out a crisp bill to an organization that helps impoverished children.

One of these serves the cause better, and it doesn’t take a genius to figure out which. Make this the year that you take that action.

Read Also: Be A Savvy Facebooker (Don’t Do These 20 Things)

5. Defend The Cyberbullied

It’s no secret that trolls and other nasty people lurk in forums, comments sections, and other online places where open discussions are encouraged. These people often make it difficult – or even dangerous – for newbies to even think about venturing into their waters.

If you see them verbally tearing someone apart for no good reason, don’t just sit back and watch from the sidelines. Stand up for whoever’s getting bullied, and let it be known that the Internet isn’t as nasty a place as overly vocal trolls often make it out to be.

Read Also: How To Not Be A Troll Magnet

6. Avoid Trolling Comments Sections

On the flip side, you might be a troll yourself. (If not, that’s good; you can skip this section.) In that case, I only have three words for you: Stop. Right. Now.

No matter how bad your day gets, or what’s going on in your life at the moment, don’t take it out on someone else. Take it out on a video game boss, take it out on an old piece of paper, but don’t take it out on a virtual, faceless stranger who doesn’t know any better. For all you know, that stranger could be going through a bad day too, just like you.

Read Also: How Tech Addiction Is Changing Human Behaviour

7. Dish Out Negative Criticism Only When Necessary

As much as we all wish otherwise, not every creator on the Internet has an abundant amount of talent flowing through their fingertips. If you see a creative work that is… less than satisfactory, let the creator know (in a nice way).

Also, be sure to explain why you think the work isn’t up to par. You don’t want to come across as a juvenile hater who leaves comments like “U SUCK” without an explanation.

Read Also: How To Give Constructive Criticism

8. Be More Creative With Your “Witticisms”

Internet memes might get old, but not human creativity. Get into the habit of thinking through every comment you make before repurposing yet another “arrow to the knee” joke. Fresh, creative, and well-thought-out posts are always the most memorable.

Read Also: The Story Behind The Internet’s 10 Favorite Memes

9. Learn Something About Everything

To be clear, you don’t need to be an expert on everything under the sun. Even if you have a monstrously high IQ, there’s only so much knowledge you can store in your head at any one time, in a single lifetime.

However, it does help to know the basics of things people often talk about. (Hey, being the go-to person for interesting, obscure trivia can only score you points in social events.)

Read Also: 9 Sites For Free Online Courses And Open Courseware

10. Be Your Own Brand Of Awesome!

I’ll probably risk contradicting everything I’ve said so far, but I’ll say this anyway: Don’t let anyone else tell you how to be awesome. The things I listed here are guidelines, not absolute rules. You’re the only one who knows your strengths, your weaknesses, and how you can harness these strengths and weaknesses to become awesome on your own terms.

It’s also good to realize that there’s more to life than the Internet. Even if you’re an Internet junkie, it won’t do to just coop yourself up at home and stay in front of the computer all day. Explore the world outside, take down notes, and post what you’ve learned on the Internet for the betterment of everyone – just like the awesome netizens who came before you.

The post The Internet Junkie’s 10-Step Guide to Awesomeness appeared first on Hongkiat.

For that reason, you don’t want a writer who writes like she or he just wants to get the whole thing over with. You want someone who genuinely cares about the “what”, the “how”, and the “why” of your message.

And, quite frankly, you won’t find too many of these people on sites like Odesk, Elance, and Guru. (Even if you do find them, it’s pretty likely that their skills are worth much, much more than $5/hr.) You’ll make better use of your time searching for writers in places like:

Websites for Writers

Unless you’re a writer yourself, you probably don’t go anywhere near these sites. After all, what use would you have for blog posts like “How to Smash Writer’s Block to Bits” or “How to Schedule Your Writing Time?“

But if you don’t at least take a look at the bylines behind the aforementioned posts, you’ll be missing out on some mad writing skills. Writers usually lurk on sites like the ones on The Write Life’s 100 Best Websites for Writers for their daily dose of writing tips. Occasionally, they write a guest post or two for those sites, so they can add a handful of pieces to their portfolio and show the world that “writer” isn’t just a meaningless badge they brandish around for the heck of it.

Comments Sections

Aside from (guest) posting on writers’ websites, writers also let loose in these websites’ comments sections. Unlike most, these comment sections tend to be well-moderated, so there’s little to none of the usual vitriol you find in those places.

Also, the writers have links back to their own websites – either through their username or an in-comment link formatted as “(username) recently posted (blog post title) – so it won’t be difficult to check their stuff out and drop them a line.

Blogs in Your Niche

Okay, maybe wading through post after post about “how to write when you don’t feel like writing” isn’t in your wheelhouse. Maybe you want someone who talks less about writing and more about… a non-writing related thing that you want to write about. Does that make sense?

In that case, Google “(your niche) + blog”, and see if you can find any good leads from there. If you’re already following a blog in your niche (which you should do, by the way!), you may already have a writer who stands out to you in some way. Feel free to let them know that you have work available for them because chances are they’ll be happy about the offer!

Referrals

Then again, maybe the writer you want isn’t available. That can be quite a letdown, not to mention a testament to that writer’s skill (why else would she or he be in demand?). What you can do is ask that writer if she or he knows someone else she or he can send your way.

By the way, it’s a good sign if a writer can – or will – refer someone to you. It means (1) the writer does everything she or he can to help clients, even indirectly; (2) the writer makes the time and effort to connect with others, which is a basic but valuable marketing skill; and (3) you made a good enough impression as a client to warrant referrals to people that the writer likes and trusts.

Social Media

LinkedIn isn’t the only place to find writers (although it’s certainly one of the best places). Savvy writers also set up Facebook pages, Twitter accounts, and even Google+ pages to let people know about their services.

If you type “freelance writer” in the search bars provided by these social networking sites, you’re bound to get a good lead or two. You can also comb through Facebook groups, filter Twitter hashtags for writers, or make a public post about your need for a writer.

Where Else?

“Where there’s written content, there are writers.” Keep that in mind while you search, and you won’t give up so easily if you’ve been online for hours and you still haven’t found “the one”. Writers have a knack for hanging around in the most unlikely places (because, hey, we’re a weird bunch), so keep your eyes peeled. Just like magic, you never know when or where these people might appear!

Finding the writer you want in the above-mentioned places can take more effort than you’re used to. But when you do manage to find that writer, your efforts will be nothing compared to what the writer can bring to your table: greater website traffic, stronger customer relationships, and, above all, a major boost in your self-confidence as an entrepreneur.

Do you have any stories to share about good writers and how you found them? Share away in the comments section!

The post Where to Find New & Good Writers For Your Blog appeared first on Hongkiat.

Let’s take a closer look at these questions as psychology offers some answers.

The Internet Makes Us Less Inhibited

We know that people are more likely to “act out” – whether positively or negatively – online than in real life. The question is: Why? Psychologist John Suler thinks the answer lies in the phenomenon known as the online disinhibition effect.

In his paper, Suler postulates that the effect above happens due to 6 factors:

1. Dissociative anonymity – (“They’ll never know who I really am”),
2. Invisibility – (“We can’t see each other online”),
3. Asynchronicity – (“I can always leave my message behind without consequence”),
4. Solipsistic introjection – (“This is how I see you, in my mind”),
5. Dissociative imagination – (“My online persona is different from who I am in real life”), and
6. Minimization of – (“I can do whatever I want online”).

Basically, the Internet blurs the boundaries that keep our behavior in check in real life.

So, the next time you have to deal with yet another online troll, take a deep breath, chalk it up to the “online disinhibition effect”, and either respond to the other person constructively or just don’t feed the troll altogether.

We Share Stuff That Arouses Strong Emotions

In newsrooms, “bad news sells” is considered conventional wisdom. After all, people are hardwired to be more sensitive to the bad than the good and are therefore more responsive to topics like terrorism and worldwide epidemics.

But if it’s true that we lean more towards negativity, how is it that stories of newcomers falling in love in NYC, gifsets of cute puppies, and articles like “The Ultimate Guide to Happiness” is as viral as – if not more viral than – bad news?

According to Jonah Berger of the University of Pennsylvania, it’s not the aroused emotion per se that makes us share, but rather the intensity of that aroused emotion.

“Physiological arousal can plausibly explain the transmission of news or information in a wide range of settings,” he writes. “Situations that heighten arousal should boost social transmission, regardless of whether they are positive (e.g., inaugurations) or negative (e.g., panics) in nature.”

(Over)sharing Is Intrinsically Rewarding

You probably cringe, at least once, at that friend who likes to post inane statuses like “OMG, why is the weather so hot today?”.

But before you type something like “Who cares?” into your friend’s “Comments” section, consider this: It may be your friend’s way of feeling better about him/herself.

That’s the conclusion of two researchers from Harvard University, who found that self-disclosure activated brain regions associated with feelings of pleasure. By sharing opinions with others, people have the opportunity to (1) validate these opinions, (2) bond with others who share the same views, and (3) learn from those who may have opposing views.

We’re Either “Integrators” Or “Segmentors”

Not everyone is predisposed to over-sharing, though. According to this article , people either separate their personal and professional lives on social media, or they don’t. The former are known as “segmentors”, while the latter is called “integrators”.

Most people are segmentors, with good reason. Employers are known to use social media to screen candidates , and if they see even a single photo of you acting in a less-than-professional manner (e.g., getting drunk and vomiting all over your friend’s dinner table), you’re automatically weeded out of the employment pool.

On the other hand, some people care more about self-expression than the opinions of others. Teenagers and millennials, in particular, fit this profile, which is why these people tend to be integrators. Being an integrator can be a good or a bad thing, depending on the information shared (or, in most cases, over-shared).

We Rely on Gut Feelings, Rather than Facts, to Discern the Truth

We all like to think we’re rational beings. We laugh at stories of people who do things that are, in hindsight, stupid. But that’s in hindsight.

Actually, we’re all subject to biases that influence the way we evaluate the “truthiness” of things, as Stephen Colbert puts it .

For instance, people are more likely to believe a statement if it’s written in a “high contrast” manner (black words on white background) than a “low contrast” one (white words on an aqua blue background). That may sound ridiculous until you consider how one of them is easier to read than the other.

When a statement feels easier to process, it’s easier to think of that statement as the truth.

We See What We Want To See

Even if we’re presented with strong evidence against our personal beliefs, we hold on to those beliefs anyway. It’s not necessarily because we’re stupid; it’s because that’s the easiest way to respond to cognitive dissonance, or the discomfort caused by two conflicting ideas held within the same mind.

As a result, we often unconsciously twist facts to support our beliefs, rather than the other way around. This is known as confirmation bias , which – if left unchecked – can cause overly long and heated discussions in places like comments sections. Also, our tendency to assume that other people think the way we do (a.k.a. false consensus effect) complicates matters.

It’s not wrong to have opinions, per se. What’s wrong is when we insist that our opinions are superior to those of others, not because of facts, but because those are our opinions.

Conclusion

Understanding why people behave the way they do online can go a long way. It helps you get into the mindset of the vicious troll, the oversharing friend, and the people who don’t seem to have anything better to do than post kilometric discussions in forums. Best of all, it helps you understand yourself – and, by extension, other people – and figure out how to act accordingly.

The post 6 Psychological Reasons Behind People’s Online Behavior appeared first on Hongkiat.

With so many to choose from, it can get a bit daunting when trying to figure out which you should pay attention to. Therefore, I’ve gathered here 10 of the best must-follow Tumblr blogs for writers. Whether it’s helpful feedback or just some inspiration that you need, these sites can help you keep on writing.

Recommended Reading: 10 Helpful Writing Sites For Fiction Writers

1. The Right Writing

“A tip a day keeps writer’s block away.” This, in a nutshell, is The Right Writing‘s tagline (if it had one). Unlike most writing blogs, TRW does its best to give more than generic writing advice such as “Set a daily writing quota” or “Just keep hammering away at your keyboard”. Instead, it gives specific, actionable tips on how to craft a first line, how to describe a character, how to craft an eye-catching title, etc. The blog also occasionally posts interesting, writing-related links.

2. Quotes From Books

Whether you need life advice from the world’s greatest writers or inspiration for writing awesome lines, Quotes from Books is the blog to follow. The site also provides book recommendations in case you’re looking for something new to read. After all, writers need to read as much – if not more than – they write, right?

3. Writing Quotes

If “writer’s block” is bugging you (again), check out this site. Writing Quotes dishes out tips straight from the greats themselves on how to write, how not to write, how to read, and “all sorts of wordy things”, as the blogger put it. Pro-Tip: You can reblog the quotes that resonate the most with you, and tag them “writing quotes”, so you can refer back to them later when you need them. More Tumblr tips here.

4. WordStuck

One of a writer’s greatest weapons is an expansive vocabulary, and WordStuck does a wonderful job of filling that need. The site regularly posts about words from around the world and their respective meanings, framed in beautiful graphics created by the blogger. It’s especially fun when the site posts words that have no direct English translation – and you’re a native speaker of the language that uses that word!

5. Yeah Write

Yeah Write doesn’t just dish out writing advice, post daily prompts, and write about industry news, it also encourages writers to come together as a community through their “workshopper” program, where people can publicly offer their editing/proofreading / workshopping services. Whether you need any of these services or not, Yeah Write is a must-follow site.

6. Writing Problems

Ever felt that you’re the only one who suffers from (insert writing problem here)? Don’t worry; Writing Problems is here to let you know that, yes, you’re not the only one who types a word, presses “Backspace”, types that word again, and presses “Backspace” again. Scroll through their posts for a dose of side-splitting, “Hey, I can relate to this!” humor, and feel your writing-related stress melt away.

7. Fix Your Writing Habits

Writers have a nasty habit of doing everything except – irony of ironies – writing. Douglas Adams, for instance, was notorious for missing deadlines, and had to be locked up in hotel rooms to have any of his work done. (In case his name doesn’t ring a bell, he’s the man behind The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.)

As the blog’s title implies, Fix Your Writing Habits tries to give you the best advice possible for getting you back on track, as well as vanquishing the Procrasti-Monster forever. The site is run by multiple authors, who put their money where their mouth is by posting on the blog regularly.

8. Reference For Writers

If you’re a writer who constantly works under tight deadlines, Reference For Writers is for you. The site posts comprehensive lists and links to research materials that would have taken you hours to find on your own. Occasionally, it posts the usual writing-blog material: tips, ideas, and inspiration for wordsmiths.

9. The Writing Café

Don’t want to clutter your dashboard with too many writing blogs? Just follow this one, then. The Writing Café is your all-in-one resource for writing advice, writing resources, links to research materials, etc. The blogger is friendly enough to answer questions, and patient enough to direct you to existing links if you ask a question that’s already been answered.

10. Your Favorite Author’s Tumblr Blogs

It’s difficult to link to just one author, since there are so many of them, and each of them caters to a specific taste. Personally, I follow Neil Gaiman for updates on his work, as well as Joe Hill, the eldest son of Stephen King and a formidable horror author in his own right. You can find more author blogs when you click “Find Blogs” on your dashboard, and click “Writers” in the Spotlight tab.

Conclusion

These blogs are just the tip of the iceberg. As writing keeps evolving as a craft, it’s inevitable for new writing blogs to mushroom all over the web (not just on Tumblr). If you know other writing blogs that haven’t been listed here, please do share them in the comments section.

The post 10 Tumblr Blogs To Follow For Great Writing Tips appeared first on Hongkiat.

Take article writing, for instance. To learn it, you can either (1) plow through a ton of Internet resources on the do’s of article writing; or (2) keep an eye out for these basic, but important, boo-boos, and cut them out as soon as you spot them. Here, I’ve put together the 6 sins of article writing.

Recommended Reading: Tips And Tricks For Writing Fast (And Professionally!)

1. Missing Mission

Problem:

You want to talk about Topic 1, but you’re also itching to discuss Topic 2. Oh, and Topic 3 also looks interesting, but then there’s Topic 4…

And then there’s the rub. If you don’t have a clear, singular idea of what your article is about, or what you want your article to do for your audience, you’ll struggle with the rest of your piece. Your travel article may end up looking like a personal blog post, or your sales copy may look as though it’s more appropriate for a user’s manual.

Solution:

Imagine what your ideal reader looks like. Then, imagine that you’re facing this person right now, and the person asked you: “How would you sum up your topic in one sentence?” Give the most concise answer you can come up with, and try to center the rest of your article around your answer.

And…Presto! You have a focused, coherent article that doesn’t try to be too many things at once.

2. Ho-Hum Headline

Problem:

Your article is otherwise informative, engaging, and bookmark-able, but you’re getting only a handful of hits for it. If that’s the case, you may need to work on your headline, since 8 out of 10 people read headline copy, but only 2 out of 10 will read the rest.

Solution:

Many writers prefer to start with a headline and write their article from there, but your case may be different. If so, you can write the article first, figure out the article’s main benefit for your target reader, and compose your butt-kicking headline based on that benefit. For example, instead of a so-so and done-to-death headline like “How to Write a Good Article”, you can use “Article Writing 101: 5 Steps to Wowing the Socks Off Your Readers”.

Be careful not to use hyperbolic words in your headline, though. If you develop a reputation for writing click-bait articles (i.e. articles that have attention-grabbing headlines but have little in the way of good content), your readers won’t be so keen on clicking an article of yours the next time it shows up in their feed.

3. Sub-Par Sub-Headings

Problem:

You managed to reel readers in through your headline. But, for some reason, these readers don’t seem to take time to read your article, as evidenced by your high bounce rate. It could mean that you don’t use enough sub-headings, or your sub-headings just aren’t as interesting as your headline.

Solution:

As a writer, you may be wary of “listicles” (articles in list form) in general. Here’s the thing, though: Sub-headings break up your article’s intimidating walls of text, making it more digestible for your readers. Sub-headings don’t have to get in the way of your creativity; in fact, they’re actually great for exercising those wordsmithing muscles.

For example, you may have noticed that every sub-head in this article (with the exception of the one for the conclusion) uses an alliterative pair of words. They give a nice rhythm to the article, and will (hopefully) make the points here easier to remember.

4. Prissy Prose

Problem:

“This is a sentence. This is another sentence. I will follow up the last sentence with another sentence. This sentence ends this paragraph.”

Individually, those last few sentences are grammatically correct, but together they sound “off”. They’re robotic, lifeless, and feel as though the writer just wanted to hammer out some words and get his job over with.

Solution:

You may have heard this advice before, but it bears repeating: Write like you talk. Or, more accurately, write like how your best self would talk: confident, authoritative, and respectful of your audience’s sensibilities.

5. Wordy Words

Problem:

It’s possible to take the whole “Write like you talk” thing too far, though. For example: “Hey, uh… I just want to talk to you about article writing, and I have so many things to say, and they’re quite important, so…”

Solution:

Admittedly, I’m guilty of this too. What I do is write a draft as fast as I can, then cut out all the unnecessary adjectives, adverbs, usage of passive voice, “be”-verbs,”that”, and “there” later. I don’t always follow this rule to the letter, though, since there are times when including those “unnecessary” words actually makes the article flow better.

6. Constipated Conclusion

Problem:

You’ve poured so much of your creative energies into crafting your headline, intro, and body, that you forgot to save some for your conclusion. You end up with parting words that feel flat, and leave readers feeling cheated somehow.

Solution:

Don’t give away everything in your intro. The intro’s job is to hook your readers in, while showing them the general premise of your article. The conclusion’s job, on the other hand, is to tie up the loose ends in your premise, while leaving your readers with a feeling that they’ve just alighted gracefully from – rather than thrown out of – the train that is your thought.

Anything Else?

Personally, I’m a “keep a few guidelines in mind” kind of writer, rather than a “stick with a ton of rigid rules at all times” writer. When you’ve been in the wordsmithing business long enough, you tend to develop an instinct for what works and what doesn’t, and that spills over into your work. The best advice I can give is this: Write often and long enough, and you’ll master those pesky writing “rules” in no time.

Here Are More Articles On writing…

• Capture Your Readers: 8 Tips To Writing Engaging Blog Posts
• 7 Tips To Turn You Into The Writer Everyone Wants To Read
• Bloggers: 6 Steps For The Perfect SEO Formula
• Useful Tips And Guidelines To Freelance Writing

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