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WritersNotes.Net: Helping Writers Follow Their Dreams Through Information, Inspiration, and Encouragement!
A True Honor!
Liz Strauss, of Successful Blog has made it official: I'm an SOB! (See Thanks to Week 117 SOBs.)
Now, normally, when people call you an SOB, it isn't a compliment; but when Liz calls you that, you know that a very high honor has been bestowed; because at Successful Blog, SOB stands for Successful and Outstanding Blogger!
The SOB Award
You've no doubt already noticed the SOB badge in my sidebar. Nevertheless I'll reproduce it here, because, to be honest, you can never display this award too often!
Here it is:
You may have even been a bit curious about the newest badge to appear in my sidebar, if you aren't familiar with it or with Liz's blog. I'll let Liz herself explain the purpose of the SOB award in her own words.
A Few Words From Liz About the Award
Here are a few things Liz has to say about those bloggers who have, as she puts it, "earned this official badge of achievement":
They take the conversation to their readers, contribute great ideas, challenge us, make us better, and make our businesses stronger.
I thank all of our SOBs for thinking what we say is worth passing on. Good conversation shared can only improve the blogging community.
How I Shared Liz's Blog Conversation
My own manner of passing on Liz's blog conversation was through my post, My Journey to Becoming Positively Me, which I prepared back in November, 2007, in response to Liz's own Positively Me post.
I also flung this conversation a bit farther out into the blogosphere more recently by making it part of my What I Learned From 2007 post, which I entered into Robert Hruzek's Blogapalooza group writing project at Middle Zone Musings.
Do Yourself a Favor: Visit Successful Blog
If you've never visited Successful Blog--and even if you have--do yourself a favor and drop by. You'll be glad you did! (You'll find links in the first paragraph of this post and in my bottom left sidebar.) Liz's blog is loaded with helpful information to make your blog successful--amazing wisdom from a truly successful and highly respected blogger! This is one reason I'm truly honored to have received this award! (The other is that I'm definitely in good company! Liz's extensive list of SOB's is a veritable Who's Who of bloggers--and an excellent resource if you happen to be seeking some excellent blogs to read and learn from! Check out her SOB Hall of Fame--A-Z Directory.)
Happy reading!
Jeanne
Did you enjoy this post? Care to share your thoughts? Have you checked out Successful Blog--or do you plan to? Please feel free to comment!
Remembering My Commenters
Last month, I started a tradition here at Writer's Notes of writing a post on the first of each month listing the names of all the previous month's commenters, complete with links to their blogs, and I want to welcome you to Volume 2!
September Link Love
It's that time again: time to send some link love out to everyone who commented at Writer's Notes during the month of September. Thanks, everyone! I truly appreciate your feedback!
Here's the list of September commenters, in no particular order:
Yvonne Russell, Grow Your Writing Business
Laura Spencer, Writing Thoughts
Lillie Ammann, A Writer's Words, An Editor's Eye
Calvin Warr, CalvinWarr.Com
James Rickard, Angling Fish
AmyHuang, Travel String
Louie, Climate Red
Jon, Tech News
Tracy, Movies and Life
Lilla, Enviro Warrior
Danielle, The Bipolar Diaries
Brad Shorr, Word Sell, Inc.
Bob, Every Every Minute
Michael Martin, Pro Blog Design
Sharon Hurley Hall, Get Paid to Write Online
Rosemary, Alpaca Notes
Julee Ann, Write of Passage
JoH, Persistent Parent
PetulaW, It's a Woman's World
AdTracker, AdSense Tracker
Keep Spreading Your Comments Far and Wide!
Thanks for your comments, everyone! Each one is greatly appreciated, and each has helped to make Writer's Notes just that much more interesting for its readers! You've all added so much to the Writer's Notes conversation, and your generosity in doing so is hereby recognized! Thanks again!
You're welcome at Writer's Notes anytime! So be sure to stop by again very soon! And remember to keep visiting as many other blogs as you can and passing along the comment-kindness--not to mention the link love! You'll enjoy it as much as the other blogger will!
Keep those comments coming!
Jeanne
Did you enjoy this post? You know what to do!
September 13th 2007 21:34
Join Yvonne and Other Fellow Writers for a Great Time of Sharing Each Weekend!
On Friday, September 7th, Yvonne Russell, at Grow Your Writing Business, kicked off her new Writers (and Bloggers) Cafe. In her own words, her purpose for instituting this writers' gathering every Friday through Sunday is to share "marvellous mini milestones and super successes," as well as links to writing- or blogging-related articles or websites that might be helpful to your fellow writers, your plans and goals for your writing/blogging--in short, anything relevant to writing or blogging.
For Further Info About the Cafe, Visit Grow Your Writing Business
You may read more about Yvonne's new weekend gathering in her Writers and Bloggers Cafe--Now Open at Grow Your Writing Business post. (Also, check out Share Your Marvellous Mini Milestones and Super Successes, the post in which she first introduces the Writers and Bloggers Cafe.) Sharing these small and large successes will be the focus of the Writers Cafe during the month of September.
Visit Yvonne's Site During the Week, As Well, for Other Helpful Writing-Related Content
There are many other reasons to visit Yvonne's blog, in addition to the Writers and Bloggers Cafe. At Grow Your Writing Business, Yvonne offers a great deal of valuable info and many helpful resources for writers and bloggers that can move you closer to the realization of your writing goals.
What Are You Doing This Weekend?
Why not drop by Grow Your Writing Business this weekend and check out the Writers and Bloggers Cafe? (It starts tomorrow, Friday.) Pull up a chair, grab a muffin and a cup of coffee, and enjoy a great time of fellowship with other likeminded creative people, as you share your own goals, aspirations, and accomplishments, relate to, celebrate, and learn from theirs.
I think you'll enjoy it!
See you there!
Jeanne
Did you enjoy this post? Have any thoughts? Don't leave me lonely--Please comment!
Love Thy Commenter
Mark, at ProBloggers Matrix, penned a post recently, which asked the following question:
How Do You REWARD Your COMMENTERS and Those Who Have BACKLINKED to Your Blog?
August Link Love
In the spirit of giving--and the spirit of Blog Day (which, as many of you may know, was yesterday)--I thought I'd designate today, September 1st, Comment Appreciation Day and send some link love out to everyone who commented at Writer's Notes during the month of August. Thanks, guys and gals! Love you all!
Here's the list of August commenters, in no particular order:
Yvonne Russel, Grow Your Writing Business
Laura Spencer, Writing Thoughts
Lillie Ammann, A Writer's Words, An Editor's Eye
John Doe, Film & TV on DVD
AmyHuang, Travel String
Kleonaptra, Kalikapsychosis
Fiar, Radioactive Liberty
BigMike, N.A.D.S.
Louie, Climate Red
Jon, Tech News
K-IntheHouse, ShanKri-la
Tracy, Movies and Life
Mandy, Pop! In the Name of Love
Charles Young, Top Site of the Day
Danielle, Musings of a Middle Aged Woman
David, Mind Orgasms
Phil, Contest Blogger
Chic Critique, Fashion.org.au
Brad Shorr, Word Sell, Inc.
Bob, Every Every Minute
Loz, Written Life
Joanna Young, Confident Writing
Chris Kitamura, Dude Check Out My Site
Sylvia C, Sylvia's Insight
Melissa Garrett, A Writer's Woolgatherings
Malathy, Blog Avenues
Lily, Ars Poetica
Ash, Australian Traveller
Faisca, Faisca's Corner
Michael Martin, Pro Blog Design
Sharon, Get Paid to Write Online
Mark-Blogger, ProBloggers Matrix
Mark Goodyear, Good Word Editing
Tavi Nemet, Loop 44
Rosemary, Alpaca Notes
Robert Hruzek, Middle Zone Musings
Keep Spreading the Magic!
Thanks so much for your comments, everyone! They've all been greatly appreciated; and they've helped make Writer's Notes a much more interesting--and far less lonely--place than it would have been otherwise!
Stop back by again to chat anytime! And remember to visit lots of other blogs and continue to pass on the comment-kindness! You'll get as much out of it as the other blogger will!
Keep those comments coming,
Jeanne
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A Virtual Trip Around the Blogosphere
In my latest travels around the blogosphere, I've uncovered some excellent content that can truly be a boon to any writer interested in a fresh approach, a new inspiration--in short, any writer seeking the motivation to write with renewed vigor and vitality.
Confident Writing: Posts to Both Inspire and Get You Thinking
Please check out Joanna Young's excellent post, When Writing Means Spirit Spilling, at Confident Writing. This piece explores the process of writing from the deepest parts of ourselves and, through quoting the wisdom of several knowledgeable bloggers, links out to other blogs you'll find most helpful in your quest to grow your own writing.
Two of Joanna's other pieces, The Ingredients of Confident Writing, and How to Learn from Your Writing, are also insightful looks into the components that help make our writing fresh and engaging. They also link to other related posts on her own blog and/or elsewhere in the blogosphere.
The Golden Pencil: Pieces on Perfectionism, Freelancing Dos and Don'ts, and Marketing Your Work Objectively
Anne Wayman, at The Golden Pencil, has written a succinct, yet very helpful post called, Don't Worry About Perfection--Go for Effective, reminding us that perfectionism is a trap and wisely counseling us to let it go.
Anne has also posted two guest pieces that offer practical guidance to help writers more effectively run their writing business. Top Dos and Don'ts for Freelancers, by Lori Widmer, offers 14 basic tips to help writers "make a go of freelancing," and Sending Out Ships, by Charlotte Rains Dixon, counsels us to write personally but submit our work objectively.
Passionate Blogger: Giving and Receiving Series to Help You Reap the Same Recognition You Sow, and How to Avoid Information Overload in Research
Wild Bill, at Passionate Blogger, has posted the first two parts of his excellent and informative multi-part series on giving and receiving: Give and Receive Series - Part 1 - Technorati Favorites and Give and Receive Series - Part 2 - StumbleUpon. These two posts explore the importance of giving lavish recognition to other writers/bloggers and letting the "getting" take care of itself, specifically covering how to do so through Technorati Favorites and StumbleUpon. The upcoming third post in the series will explore how to do this using Alexa.
Another excellent post on Wild Bill's site, about avoiding information overload when researching and writing blog posts (and which could also apply to other types of writing), is Stop Cramming for a Post! This insightful piece is an apt reminder that focusing on what we do know (known, in blogging, as our niche), can help us steer clear of excessive and unnecessary research, saving us valuable time and making us more productive.
A Writer's Words, An Editor's Eye: Customer Service and Productivity for Freelance Writers
Lillie Ammann, at A Writer's Words, An Editor's Eye, has written a brief but inspiring post, called The Simple Truths of Service: Will You Be a Johnny Today? that points us to a helpful video and serves to remind all freelance writers how important good "customer service" is to writer-client relations--despite the fact that, as freelancers, we have no "Customer Service Department." This piece--along with the video it introduces--tells us, in effect, that we must be our own "Customer Service Department."
A second great post, entitled How Do You Stack Up Against the Average Worker in America? asks us, as homeworkers/freelancers, to weigh our own productivity level against that of the average American working outside the home, providing an interesting comparison of the two, and hopefully providing writers with a little incentive to work on becoming more productive.
Four Great Blogs to Bookmark and Return to Again and Again!
It is my hope that the above posts will help you become more effective at both the craft, and the business, of writing. Why not bookmark these four great blogs, so you can return to them later to check out the other valuable content they are certain to post in the future! (You may also want to search their archives for buried treasure!)
Until next time,
Jeanne
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Just thought I'd tell my readers about the latest group writing project, slated to begin on Monday, August 6th, at Middle Zone Musings. To read more about the project, follow this link to Robert Hruzek's post, entitled, Get Those Little Gray Cells Ready!
While Robert is keeping the precise nature of the project somewhat under wraps at this point, I can tell you this much: It will be built around the phrase, "What I Learned From..." Though Robert is currently keeping all of us in suspense as to the actual topic we'll be expected to expound upon, his latest group writing project promises to be every bit as interesting as previous projects at MZM have been.
Which brings me to another project that Robert is running concurrently with his As-Yet-Unknown-Topic group writing project: his latest meme, entitled My Home Town. If you love the town you live in, if you live in an unusual place, or if there are one or more unique characteristics, idiosyncrasies, or unusual tourist attractions in your town, and if you'd enjoy writing about them, you might just want to submit a post to the meme.
Your post should answer the following question, expressed In Robert's own words: "What, in your opinion, is or are the most amazing, unusual, strange or just plain weird things about where you live?"
While he has tagged a few specific folks for this meme, Robert invites anyone who is interested to join in on the fun, stating, "but if you aren’t tagged and feel like jumping in, by all means, go for it!"
So, there's your invitation! Check out Robert's blog for all the specifics for both the My Home Town meme and the upcoming What I Learned From... group writing project.
You may just find that you're having a great time writing your entry, while at the same time creating more widespread exposure for your writing--and perhaps even some valuable links to your website or blog!
Chances are extremely good that you'll also meet a lot of great people and create many online friendships as a result of these projects.
So, why not join the conversation at Middle Zone Musings!
Happy writing!
Jeanne
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Yvonne Russell, at Grow Your Writing Business, mentioned Blog Carnival in a recent post. Thanks to Yvonne, I checked out this site and found many fascinating opportunities there for bloggers who enjoy writing about almost any topic. So, I thought I'd pass on some info about this site to my readers, so you'll have the opportunity to participate in upcoming--or ongoing--blog carnivals currently being hosted on a number of different blogs.
The above Blog Carnival link should help you keep abreast of the latest carnivals happening around the blogosphere at any given time. So, check the site often, if you'd like to participate in any of these community- and traffic-building projects hosted by various blogs. You may choose the blog carnival categories and topics you prefer to blog, or write, or simply submit previously published posts about, of which there are quite a few different categories. (And, yes, writing is one of them.)
Some of the carnivals listed on this site are outdated, as is so often the case on any site, with the speed of change occurring on the internet today. But many appear to be valid and either current and/or ongoing and have the potential to provide fascinating vehicles through which our creative energies may be channeled, our fondest interests indulged, and our literary labors of love recognized by other likeminded individuals--which sounds like a fairly good deal for all concerned!
Hope you'll find some blog carnivals here that will keep you on the edge of your seat!
Happy hunting!
Jeanne
P.S. If you scroll down a bit in my blog's sidebar, you'll find a feed listing some of the recent blog carnivals that can be found on the website. (Blog categories in the feed are random.) NOTE: FEED HAS SINCE BEEN MOVED OUT OF SIDEBAR AND INTO POST ENTITLED BLOG CARNIVAL FEED: FIND BLOG CARNIVALS HERE.
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Back in March, I penned a post called, A Salute to My Fellow Writers--With Links! One of the links I included in that post pointed to the Funds For Writers website, which I felt at the time--and still feel today--to be a very valuable resource for writers.
One of my blogging buddies has confirmed my belief in the significance of Funds for Writers in the freelance writing marketplace by including an article containing some info about the site in a recent post. So I felt this would be the perfect time to write a post centered solely around the site and what it has to offer the aspiring, developing, or practicing writer.
(For more info about Yvonne Russell's Freelance Writing Rates post, mentioned in the previous paragraph, see my June 14th post, entitled, Buzz from the BlogVine: WritersWeekly Raising Rates--or go directly to her post by using the recent post link, above.)
Funds for Writers, generously presented to you by Hope Clark, offers multiple resources that can help writers in a number of different ways. Some of the site's highlights:
-A list of grants for writers
-A list of writing contests (containing competitions both with and without entry fees)
-A (limited) list of writing markets, with more offered in the site's free newsletters
-Several free newsletters
-An annual writing contest
-A list of other beneficial links (including organizations that can help writers in various ways)
-Lists of books and e-books for reference and/or study
-Publication of--and payment for--your articles about the craft or business of writing
Check out the Funds for Writers site! You'll find a great deal there that can help you reach your writing goals!
Happy Reading!
Jeanne
PS. For your convenience, should you later return to my blog and desire to access the site, a link to Funds for Writers can always be found in my Helpful Sites for Writers list, located in the sidebar on the left side of this web page.
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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!
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