Category: Guest Posts

Why Not Me: Becoming a Freelance Writer

freelance writer board-1527807_960_720Guest Post
by Greta Burroughs

It is so frustrating to read blog posts and articles from folks proclaiming, “I made $1000 in one week by writing in my spare time.” Why can’t I do that? I’m not looking for any get-rich-quick schemes; I know better than that. I just want some writing gigs that will help pay the bills. I’ve spent the past year trying to break into the market, and I’d like to share what has worked (and not worked) in my quest to become a freelance writer. Continue reading “Why Not Me: Becoming a Freelance Writer”

Literature’s Torrid Love Affair with Arsenic

arsenic for authors courtesy of pixabay bottle-1481599_960_720Guest Post
by Ben Steele

If arsenic had a golden age, it was probably the Victorian era in England and the United States. It was in bloody everything, from wallpaper, to clothing dye, to cosmetics. If arsenic had a golden age in terms of literature, it was probably the mid-1900s, though by then its career as an actual murder weapon was being regulated out of relevance. Still, writers like Agatha Christie made arsenic one of the most well-known and sordid tools in popular crime fiction.

There is an absolute ton of juicy content to get into here. For a start, it really was as common as you hear, according to Sandra Hempel, an author and expert on the subject. She states, “Through much of the nineteenth century, a third of all criminal cases of poisoning involved arsenic. One reason for its popularity was simply its availability. All you had to do was go into a chemist’s shop and say that you needed to kill rats.” Continue reading “Literature’s Torrid Love Affair with Arsenic”

My DIY Book Cover Blunders

Author Bruce FottlerGuest Post
by Bruce Fottler

Five years ago, I finished my very first novel and it needed a book cover. Lacking the funds to hire a designer, or even purchase a pre-designed cover, I wondered: How hard could it be to do it myself?

Six cover revisions later, I can confidently conclude that I asked a foolish question while embarking on a long road of awkward misfires. I learned some tough lessons, and hopefully you can avoid my mistakes. Continue reading “My DIY Book Cover Blunders”

Essential Apps for Procrastinating Writers

apps-for-writers-woman-1446557_960_720Guest Post
by Ernest Mendozza

Someone once said, “Being a good writer is 3% talent 97% not being distracted by the internet.” Ain’t that the truth. Just while writing this introductory paragraph, I’ve checked my email three times, changed the music twice, and went to see when the next episode of Mr. Robot airs. And that’s not counting my Twitter habit.

When you get distracted constantly and easily, the quality of your writing suffers — that much is obvious. But how do you remain distraction-free when there’s just so much stuff to pay your attention to? Especially when checking your email counts as work, and making connections on Twitter furthers your career, it’s easy to make justifications for blowing off writing for even a minute or two. Continue reading “Essential Apps for Procrastinating Writers”