Being a full-time freelance writer is a wonderful destination, and luckily there are lots of pathways that lead there. Unfortunately, sometimes it seems like some paths move around, taking you places you didn’t mean to go. And, happily, there are paths you stumble on that are perfect.

Anyway, philosophical thoughts aside, I’m finding a lot of paths I hadn’t considered on my road to freelance writing self sufficiency.

You may have noticed a new addition to the sidebar: Crayon Writer in the Blogosphere. I mention two of my other blogs, and two blogs where I’m an author. As a new HubPages author, I’ll be putting links to new posts as I write them. Eventually I’ll move them all to my Best Work tab.

So if you’re interested in reading more of my writing, take a look at the links. Be sure to leave a comment here or there (or everywhere…publicity is a good thing), and let me know what you think.

The other avenue I’m pursuing like crazy is Craigslist. I’ve actually landed a couple of good gigs there. If you haven’t tried it, you should. Apply to several, and, assuming your portfolio is good, you should get some work. Then be sure to add your work to your portfolio so you can get more

Lately I’ve been noticing a lot of the same types of writing mistakes across the blogosphere.

I’m sure most of the bloggers know the correct words to use and the proper grammatical techniques. Writing online kind of makes us lazy, so we bend the rules a little (some writers seem to just throw them out completely).

This past week I decided to take note of some of the common offenders. And as I explore the blogosphere, I’ll be writing a “writing tips of the week” post from time to time.

On to the writing tips for this week!

1. Complimenting someone is saying something nice about them. Complementing, though, is when two or more items go well together.

2. When you write pretty long sentences, try saying them out loud. Even though commas don’t always go at a “natural breath” point, chances are you do have to pause at some point during the sentence. So be sure to use a comma somewhere. But be careful. I don’t know which is worse; using commas all over the place or not using any at all. Watch those commas!

3. Try not to overuse certain words in a post, unless you’re trying to use a keyword on purpose to boost your SEO. Use your thesaurus, or just go back and check to see if a certain word is repeated 5, 10, or even 15 times in a 100-word post. Nothing’s more annoying that the annoying habit of using a word that becomes annoying after a while.

I just found out about this really cool WordPress plugin called CommentLuv (thanks to Opal of Vegan Momma).

If you comment on Crayon Writer (and you have a blog), the plugin will show the title of your last blog post. And if you don’t already know, Crayon Writer is a “do follow” blog. I don’t really understand what that means, but it’s good for search engines from what I hear.

So comment, subscribe, and be merry!

(Added note: I talked with the creator of the plugin, Andy, and he told me there may be an incompatibility issue with the threaded comments and commentluv plugins. So for now, commentluv doesn’t work on this blog. But do try it on yours!)

I’m officially a hired blogger.

Sounds dangerous, but I’m having a lot of fun. Babies Online has a new blog, and the owner decided to hire some contributing authors. Being the mother of a 2.5 year old, my favorite topics are babies, parenting, and getting through the toddler years with my sanity intact.

Crayon Writer isn’t the proper medium for all of my thoughts, so Babies Online is a perfect fit.

Check it out today. There is a lot of interesting and useful information, written from lots of different perspectives. Let us know you’re reading (comment, comment, comment), and if you like it, tell your readers about it too.

November was my month for marketing my freelance writing business. 

I did a bit of cold emailing (as time permitted, considering I have a very busy toddler), and I have a few warm leads as a result.

I also started a new blog, Marana Unwrapped, both because it’s an interesting topic and it’s a more specific niche. (I consider Crayon Writer to be a more personal blog that also has some universal appeal.) Hopefully the exposure in my community will help me gain more clients, and the niche should attract advertisers also.

So December is my month of looking for freelance gigs, while I also continue looking for another day job.

What’s a freelance gig? Projects I find not by marketing myself, but by perusing freelance sites. Right now I only use Craigslist. With access to cities across the country (and the world, if I choose), I should be able to find some nice side work.

If you’re a single parent or sole breadwinner, how did you get started with your freelance business, and how do you keep on keepin’ on?

Is your blog a business? Would you like it to be?

If you answered “Yes” to either question, then you’ve probably heard about Yaro Starak’s Blog Mastermind program.

I haven’t joined it yet, but I did read his free Blog Profits Blueprint (chock full of lots of useful, practical information–a must read).

What is Blog Mastermind, and how does it work?

See for yourself. The Blog Mastermind program is focused on marketing. What I like most about Yaro’s style is that he’s not just writing to fill up space. He isn’t just saying, “Marketing is great. It’s important. You’ve really got to do it. Yep. Marketing. I love marketing.”

Yaro’s program actually gives an action plan, and includes specific steps to take (homework), gives real life examples, and even tells you what he doesn’t have much experience with.

I’ve bought an ebook or two that filled up pages with useless, obvious information that was clearly hypothetical. The free Blog Profits Blueprint is more than just theory and ideas.

If you’re serious about making good money from your blog, read the Blog Profits Blueprint. If it resonates with you, then the Blog Mastermind program may be just what you’re looking for too.

If this isn’t your first time visiting Crayon Writer, I would like to extend an invitation for you to subscribe.

Most of you are bloggers, so you’re familiar with subscribing to blogs.

But in case you aren’t, take a look at the pretty orange square thingee under my picture to the right. Either click on it to subscribe in a “reader,” or put your email address in the box below it. It’s completely free.

(To learn more about readers, check out Yaro Starak’s post about rss feeds.)

Either way, you’ll get updates from my site on a regular basis, saving you the trouble of traipsing over here to see if I’ve written anything new.

I didn’t know I had it in me (or I forgot), but I recently increased my MyBlogLog community by over 100 in just a few days (in response to a contest).

So now I’m going to challenge myself to increase my blog’s subscribership by at least 50 before Christmas.

I’ll start with repeat visitors, like you. Subscribe for a month, and if you don’t find my blog useful, feel free to unsubscribe (hopefully you’ll let me know what went wrong).

For those of you who are already subscribers, thank you so much! Please let me know how I’m doing, and wish me luck on my challenge.

I mentioned recently that I’ve been meeting lots of new people on MyBlogLog. While I haven’t noticed an increase in subscribers, I have noticed some new networking opportunities.

One member, Vince, just launched a site called Bloggers Showroom, where blogs can be reviewed by readers. I think it’s a great chance to get exposure for your site, and also get much-needed feedback.

Submitting your blog is free, so why not take advantage of it? While you’re there, review my blog so I can find out how I’m doing.

Vince’s site also has a journal, so you can follow his progress through his own words. Though I haven’t been blogging for long, I have a feeling this site will do very well.

Is it just me, or is marketing and sales terrifying? I know I talk about it a lot, and I’m not so bad at it when I put my mind to it. But there’s something scary about actually getting out there.

The Golden Pencil, once again, wrote a very interesting post about the fear of success and/or money. I’m pretty sure this is my problem with marketing.

One way I’m working to overcome this is by using online networking. MyBlogLog, which is having a contest, is a great way to meet new people.

I’m also starting a new blog, both to serve a need in my town, and to market my business.

Are you afraid of success or money? What steps are you taking to push past the fear?

Good copywriting requires knowing the right words. But what are the right words, and how do you find them?

There are three main factors. Know your audience, don’t use the same words repeatedly, and understand the feelings behind your words and phrases.

Knowing your audience is key in good copywriting. That includes knowing how to talk to them.

I found a cute test for your blog’s readability. My blog was rated as elementary school level, and I was very pleased.

My blog’s audience is pretty much anyone. All ages, all nationalities.

I don’t want my readers to have to think too hard. After all, you’re looking at a computer screen. You want to get in and get out fast, or else you’d be reading a novel.

So I write in a straightforward, natural manner. Why use a complicated word when a simpler one will get the same point across?

Try not to be repetitive with your words. Often I’ll go back over a post to see if I used any word more than once. Sometimes it’s inevitable, but for adjectives you can almost always find different variations of the same word. I use this online thesaurus for my writing jobs.

Finally, remember that some words convey a feeling or connotation. For instance, you might ask people for hints, or you might ask for suggestions. They both mean pretty much the same thing, but a hint is kind of like a secret, while a suggestion is more sophisticated (I feel).

Also, consider other’s potential feelings about certain words or phrases.

Do you have any suggestions for making the right word choice?