Hone Your Writing Skills  

Whether you are an aspiring writer with little or no experience, or a professional freelance writer wanting to expand your opportunities, the resources below will help you to "learn so you can earn" in new and different writing markets.

Good luck and enjoy!

Classes & Courses

What do you want to learn how to write? Fiction? Romance? Sci-Fi? Business? Screenplays? Poetry? Television? Whatever your interest, chances are the Creative Writing Courses at WritingClasses.com  has a course for you. With more than a dozen 10-week online workshops, it just might be your one-stop source for expanding your skills. There's even a Certificate Program to add credibility to your accomplishment.

For more information on, and a complete listing of, these "best of the 'net" courses, click on the link below:

Creative Writing Courses at WritingClasses.com  

Are You an Aspiring Novelist?

Are you plot-challenged? Does your story lack a theme? Do your characters seem one-dimensional? Do your subplots weave seamlessly into the fabric of the story or appear as disconnected asides?

I have to admit that, although I've been a career writer for more than 15 years, when it comes to novel writing, I'm a novice.  Here are two reviews for novel writing resources:

Novel Writing Made Easy
New Novelist
 

Writing Children's Book

When people find out that I've been an author and publisher, the statement I hear more often than any other is: "I have a great idea for a children's book I'd like published!"

Yet, what may seem like one of the easiest tasks with such a small word count, putting rhyme together with a little reason and images of dancing bears just won't make it. Writing for children takes a set of very special skills and planning in order to attract interest from a publisher or an audience.

One of the best resources I've seen that specifically addresses the niche of writing for children is The Children's Book Insider. It is a monthly newsletter that offers more than writing advice. You'll receive a list of new and exclusive markets, advice from authors, writing how-to's and even tax tips and industry information. Yes, there is a yearly subscription fee, but it is modest and well worth it.

If you are serious about learning the ins and outs of writing for children, you can learn more about this publication at:

The Children's Book Insider

Copywriting

If you want to be a working writer, regardless of what your preferred genre is, copywriting can be one of the best income-boosting occupations you'll ever find. On your way to your big break in fiction or poetry, adding the credential of "writer" instead of "aspiring writer" is far more rewarding, increases self-confidence, and adds to your credibility in the eyes of editors and publishers that you're trying to attract.

For nearly fifteen years, my "bread and butter" was copywriting. Although it now shares nearly equal success with infopreneuring, it is my experience that copywriting skills are helpful in nearly every other area of writing you pursue.  Here are my two recent favorites for learning the success-building secrets of copywriting:

Quick Cash Writing
Accelerated Copywriting Course

Ghostwriting

Ghostwriting is a great way to build your portfolio, stretch your expertise, and make a great living. In fact, ghostwriting can be the ultimate "work at home" job for a writer. I've yet to see one ghostwriter ad soliciting for a staff position! In addition to "offline" work, it's no secret that the Internet is the "information superhighway" and someone -- someone just like you -- has to write all the "information" that people seek.

Executives and business owners look for ghostwriters to research and prepare speeches, articles, papers, and books. Celebrities who write autobiographies rarely pen their own prose, and many professional writers who get overbooked turn to ghostwriters to help on projects. I've worked on many ghostwriting projects, including published books, and I highly recommend it as a full-time or supplemental career.

Need a great resource for setting up your own ghostwriting business? Click Here for the Essential Guide to Ghostwriting.

Write a Winning Book Proposal -- and Get Paid in Advance to Write Your Book!

Writing skills alone won't bring you fame or fortune if you can't "sell your wares" to editors and publishers. If you want to take your rightful place as a published author, you must audition for them by writing and presenting a knockout book proposal.

In his Book Proposal Secrets ebook, Dan Strauss details 10 steps for writing a proposal that will make agents, editors and publishers sit up and take notice. He also includes a few bonuses; one that includes templates for you to quickly put "what goes where" into a polished proposal, and another that points you to potential agents and publishers to send your proposal to. Although valuable on their own, he gifts them to you with Book Proposal Secrets.

No  manuscript? No problem! You can find a publisher who will commit to you before you have a finished book -- and PAY you for your time to write it! Sound good? Get started today. Click here for more information about Book Proposal Secrets.

More to come ...

I am constantly searching for the best resources available to help writers "learn and earn" their way to success. As I find them, I announce them in the Monday Muse so I invite you to sign up -- it's free and serves as a weekly jump-start to keep you in the writing frame of mind. Sign up now by entering your email address in the box on the left side of this page, or click here to send an email subscription request.