As aspiring writers, we all wish that we could write like the literary giants, many of whom we have admired for most of our lives. Yet, when it comes down to starting work of our own, we are often uncertain of how to handle these influences of the literary heroes whose work we have read…
Read MoreWriting Marathons – A Great Way to Kickstart Your Career
If you are trying to kickstart your career as a novelist, poet, freelance writer, blogger, or columnist, you should consider taking on a writing challenge! Writing marathons, just like running marathons, are very challenging, but are exceedingly rewarding. Listen in to this week’s Online Writing Insider podcast (Writing Marathons) for some advice on embarking on…
Read MoreThe Seer
For the grand finale of the scary short story series we have been running on the Fascinating Fiction podcast this month, we have a very special episode! As a Halloween treat, we have Aficionada reading The Seer, a fantastic Hub by WillStarr. I hope you enjoy it! Big thanks to WillStarr for the great story…
Read MoreUsing Your Name vs. Going Anonymous as an Online Writer
The issue of online anonymity has been popping up quite frequently in the media, so we decided to discuss the issue as it applies to online writers. In this week’s edition of the Online Writing Insider (Using Your Name vs. Using An Alias Online), we review reasons why online authors might want to be anonymous,…
Read MoreHow to Stay Sharp as an Online Writer
The best online writers are constantly improving their work. Are you? Continuously upping one’s ante is helpful in many respects. It helps your articles continue to rank well in search engine results, it helps you garner more loyal readers, and it also helps you become a better, stronger author. Listen in to this week’s Online…
Read MoreThe Legend of Oomak
Early in September, we had a special two week long Halloween-themed Weekly Topic Inspiration session to prepare for the coming holiday. One of the Hubs shared during those weeks was Scary Halloween Campfire Tales: The Legend of Oomak by RedElf. It offers a really fun scary story alternative to those fatigued by the typical cliches so…
Read MoreHow to Write SEO-Friendly (but AUTHENTIC!) Online Titles
The line between search-engine friendliness and authenticity is fraught with peril. Many writers write witty, fun, humorous, and interesting titles that have no shot at being found by searchers. Others write titles that are so SEO-optimized that they look as though they have been written by over caffeinated robots (or, at the very least, spammers). Is it…
Read MoreOn Writing Well: An Interview with Melanie Gideon
Melanie Gideon’s A Slippery Year is one of my personal favorite memoirs. It also stayed on the New York Times’ top ten best-seller list for many weeks, and received rave reviews from NPR, NY Post, San Francisco Chronicle, New Yorker’s Book Bench, Christian Science Monitor, San Francisco Magazine, Elle, Kirkus, Booklist, BookPage and others. I…
Read MoreAll About Evergreen Content
What is evergreen content? Here’s a hint- it doesn’t actually have anything to do with trees. Listen in to this Online Writing Insider podcast (All About Evergreen Content) as Robin Edmondson and Yours, Truly offer the lowdown on evergreen content. We cover a simple explanation, examples of evergreen content- as well as examples of non-evergreen…
Read MoreHow to Lower Your Bounce Rate
On last week’s Online Writing Insider post, Lisa Beaman commented that she was unfamiliar with bounce rates and would like a bit more information on them. Though the actual rates fluctuate a great deal and vary widely by topic, format, and website, we can definitely give some advice on how to lower them, so we…
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