139 followers
386 daily readers
rank of 11
Receive an e-mail notification of new posts on this site:
|
|
|
WritersNotes.Net: Helping Writers Follow Their Dreams Through Information, Inspiration, and Encouragement!
September 24th 2010 07:22
Free Online Conference for Freelancers this Weekend
September 24th is International Freelancers Day, and The Wealthy Freelancer is hosting a free two-day web conference this Friday and Saturday. For information on how to register, visit the International Freelancers Day website.
The conference, billed as "The Biggest Ever Free Online Conference Exclusively for Solo Professionals," will feature video sessions by 25 freelancing experts over the two-day period. Sessions start at 9:00 am U.S. Eastern Time (GMT minus five hours) on each of the two days (Friday, September 24th and Saturday, September 25th). To find out what's covered in each of the 24 sessions, visit the International Freelancers Day Sessions Page.
It's important to note that, during the conference, sessions will not be viewable on demand. Each session starts promptly at the scheduled time, and those who tune in late will miss part of the session. Videos will, however, be available to registered participants for on-demand viewing after the conference ends -- one reason you'll want to sign up even if you'll have to miss some -- or all -- of the sessions.
Hurry over to the International Freelancers Day site, and see what the excitement is all about! Then, sign up and join in on this exciting opportunity to learn the tricks and techniques of the experts, which can help make you a better freelancer.
See you at International Freelancers Day!
Jeanne
September 21st 2008 01:26
The Lowdown Right from the Lizard's* Mouth!
Joel Ratner, Director of Zirdland.com, has graciously responded to several somewhat skeptical comments left on my recent post: "That First Line" Contest Offers $500 Prize for One Line! In his comment, Joel addresses a few issues raised by some Writer's Notes readers. I've decided to reproduce his fairly lengthy comment in this post to be certain that everyone who's read the earlier post and either entertained or expressed doubts about the Zirdland website and its writing contests will see his remarks and benefit from hearing the other side of the story.
The Inside Scoop from the Top Man at Zirdland
The following is what Joel had to say about his site:
Hi Jeanne -
Thanks for writing so many wonderful things about our web site. It's been a long development process. But we want to make sure we get this right. For too long, writers have been left in the dark wondering how to get published. Publishers are similarly in the dark about where the "truly" great works can be found. They rely on third-parties to evaluate and recommend. Seems to us (as writers) a tragic failed business model.
So, maybe we're crazy for trying to change things, but somebody needs to do something - the same old stuff keeps getting published - and I can tell you from what we've seen in both the first-line contest and the new novel competition, that there are some incredibly talented people with very meaningful works out there. Even more tragic are some of the tales of their querying experiences.
The Arc Angel is something we've worked on for 4 years now, and when deployed, we hope it can bridge the gap - helping writers structure their plots and characters for maximum reader satisfaction, and helping the publishers wade through their slush-piles in a more organized way. While it can't "read" like a human - or interpret the social significance of a work, it can accurately detect emotional development, dramatic ebb and flow and chart-out the arc structure for each character and for combinations of characters.
The actual user-interface you will eventually see on the site will be very intuitive, graphical, and integrated with a text editor so a writer can work in the desktop environment and have the Arc Angel analyze the edits on the fly.
Our writers focus groups have given us valuable feedback and even some of the die-hard skeptics remained well afterwards to get more hands-on with the Arc Angel - addicted, as we are.
The novel competition is our beta test - giving the Arc Angel and the processing engines a work-out with real submissions. While we've taken reasonable precautions to protect the entries, writers should always copyright their works. No rights are lost by entering - we only expect to test the system. Eventually, each entrant will receive the analysis output of their entry. And of course, one exceptional writer will also get $1,000.
No entry fee this time around. The first-line contest was an effort to raise money for our literacy partners (Firstbook and National Center for Family Literacy) while providing a fun opportunity for writers. We love competitions and feel it sparks creativity. I think Zirdland will always have some sort of contest running...at least we'll try.
Hope that helps. I'm excited to see so much discussion about our project and we'd welcome any suggestions or insights your readers may have.
Thanks again for great coverage of the adventure!
Joel Ratner, Director
Zirdland.com, LLC
Permission to Quote Graciously Granted
In response to my request for permission to turn his comment into a blog post, Joel later posted this friendly follow-up comment:
Hi Jeanne -
No problem at all in distributing my comments. Yes, I did see your later post. Again, thanks for sharing your thoughts and comments about Zirdland. I'm glad to get some opposing viewpoints from all the responses to your post - it helps us understand what areas we need to focus on as we develop this site.
It's been a lot of fun and we've received so many well-wishes.
Let me know if you or your readers have any additional questions, comments or concerns. I'll do my best to answer them.
Any Questions or Comments for Joel About His Site?
There you have it--right from the source. If you still have questions, concerns, thoughts, or opinions about Zirdland, its contests, or its Arc Angel Story Analysis Tool that you'd like to share, Joel would be more than happy to listen and respond to any issues you may have.
Thanks to All!
Thanks so much, Joel, for your willingness to entertain our comments, answer our questions, and assuage our concerns!
And thank-you, Writer's Notes readers for your thoughtful comments left in response to my earlier post! Thanks, too, for any feedback you may decide to give Joel in response to his gracious offer to clarify his site's plans, goals, philosophy, policies, and practices!
To your writing future!
Jeanne
* The Zirdland trademark/mascot is a bright green lizard, appropriately called a zird.
Did you enjoy this post? Have any questions for Joel about his site, his software, or his contests? Any suggestions for ways his site could better serve you as a writer? Any concerns that haven't been addressed either on the site or in his comments? Both he and I would love to hear your thoughts!
Please note: If the StumbleUpon and other social bookmarking buttons aren't visible, please click the "Add Comments" link beneath this post. Thanks!
Note: All links in this post have been updated, as of June 4, 2009. The Memory Walk is an annual event.
The Lucid Mind: A True Gift
As writers, each of us can appreciate, in a particularly vivid way, the blessing of a lucid mind! Clear thought, dependable memory, logical deductive power: each of these is critical to us as we go about our daily activities, giving us the ability to share ideas via the written--or spoken--word. Because of this, we writers are able, perhaps more than most, to understand just how devastating the loss of these abilities can be--and is--to every person who falls victim to Alzheimer's, and to each of their family members, as well.
The Alzheimer's Association Memory Walk®: Your Opportunity to Make a Difference
The Alzheimer's Association Memory Walk® is America's largest event held to raise awareness about Alzheimer's and funds for Alzheimer's care, support, and research. Held annually since 1989 in hundreds of communities across the U.S., walks are typically 2-3 miles long and take place on a weekend morning in early fall. This year's walk will involve more than 600 communities--communities where volunteers of all ages will gather to champion the cause of Alzheimer's sufferers.
Since its inception, Memory Walk has raised more than $225 million in funds to help in the fight against Alzheimer's, and caring people like you are the ones who have made that happen!
Memory Walk Team Captains Needed Immediately!
Team Captains are needed NOW to assemble, organize, and lead teams of other concerned individuals in preparing for and participating in the Walk. Teams can consist of family members, friends, and/or business associates who are dedicated to helping fight Alzheimer's. As a Team Captain, you can inspire the caring people in your own personal sphere to take action on behalf of a worthwhile cause, becoming true champions of those who face Alzheimer's.
The rewards of taking charge and making this happen in your local area will be great! You'll experience the satisfaction of knowing that you've gone the extra mile--literally!--in the fight to help make Alzheimer's a thing of the past. You'll know that you were the catalyst that brought your entire group's energy, enthusiasm, and compassion together, creating a synergy that would be hard to beat. You'll be respected and admired, not only by those you lead, but by others who learn of your dedication and leadership in such a worthy endeavor. By signing up to become a Team Captain, you can't lose--because you'll know that you're helping those who are contending with Alzheimer's win!
Please Sign Up Early!
The Association recommends that Team Captains sign up as early as possible so they will have sufficient time to recruit their teams and raise funds for the cause. As a Team Captain, you can help make this year's Alzheimer's Association Memory Walk® a success.
To quote the Association, "By teaming up with the Alzheimer's Association, you can walk with a purpose – and move us closer to a world without Alzheimer's. Together, we can MOVE a nation."
Won't that be a wonderful thing?
Thanks for reading,
Jeanne
Was this post helpful to you? Have any questions? Please feel free to comment!
I learned, a few days ago, from reading my friend Yvonne Russell's Grow Your Writing Business blog, that WritersWeekly.Com is raising the rates it pays writers for their work. According to an article, written by Angela Hoy and reproduced in its entirety (with permission) by Yvonne, WritersWeekly is raising its rates 20% for features and 33% for success stories. This is great news for freelancers!
According to Ms. Hoy's article, the 20% increase for feature articles figures to "$60 for around 600 words for non-exclusive electronic rights only," and she adds, "For freelance success stories, we now pay $40 for around 300 words."
Her article is exceptionally interesting reading for freelancers, as it also contains an explanation of the payment history of several other major online publishers of freelance material, as well as several print publishers, giving us a glimpse into their going rates, and letting us know just how long it's been since each has raised its own rates.
Check out this great article on Yvonne's site! You'll find it in her post, entitled, Freelance Writing Rates. The article, entitled, We're Raising Our Freelance Rates, by Angela Hoy, is also posted on the WritersWeekly website.
Thanks, Yvonne for this fascinating and thoroughly helpful info! We can only hope that all the other publishers of freelance material will follow WritersWeekly.Com's shining example of adopting fairer freelance payment rates and thereby engaging in more responsible business practices!
Happy writing!
Jeanne
P.S. You'll want to visit Yvonne's blog often! Through it, she provides lots of great info and many helpful resources for writers! For your convenience, a link to Grow Your Writing Business can always be found in my blog's sidebar in the Helpful Sites for Writers list.
You'll also want to visit WritersWeekly.Com. Their site is packed with articles, market listings, and other resources that will help you reach your writing goals!
Did you enjoy this post? Don't leave me lonely--Please comment!
|
|
|
Add Comments
Comments (2)