Assignments Gone and Some Appreciation

I finished off the second assignment and sent both resubs off this afternoon. Fingers crossed I got it right this time.

I also received some nice feedback from Polly Frost on my review of Deep Inside. It's nice to get positive feedback when reviewing, almost as much as it's nice to get positive feedback from a reviewer - I imagine.

Currently I'm working through compiling a freelance market list to include possible markets for articles I can see myself writing and for fillers. Mustn't disregard fillers. Good payment for a little work if you get enough of them out there.

I've also been scouring the web for freelance help and there is so much crap out there, it's scary. I came across more sites and deals trying to rip newcomers off than I did with writing fiction. Strangely enough, they look and feel very similar.

Best rules to apply when looking for help in either freelance or fiction:

Money flows to the writer. Never pay for anything. Unless it is a government recognised course, don't fork out the hard earned.

Don't buy ebooks promising to teach you anything. I've seen a number of ebooks, and while some actually do contain good information, careful searching and proper education, will reveal those tricks to you anyway. There are no short cuts!

Put in the work to learn. You need to write in both fields to get better at them. Write lots of short stories and revise them, gain feedback from reputable crit groups or non-related people you trust to be honest. Read potential freelance markets, the magazines, newsletters, etc and see what others have had accepted and figure out if an angle was missed. Practise creating simple and straightforward pitches based on your ideas. Send those pitches to editors.

They can only say no, and usually it would be a no thank you.

Don't get discouraged.

Speak to you soon.

BT