Blogging, Article Writing, Magazine writing Alina Bradford Blogging, Article Writing, Magazine writing Alina Bradford

100+ of My Best Writing Tips

If you haven't been to my Instagram page, you should.  I share all kinds of writing goodies there. Here are some of my best tips I've shared.

If you haven't been to my Instagram page, you should.  I share all kinds of writing goodies there. Here are some of my best tips I've shared.


Read More
Magazine writing, Article Writing Alina Bradford Magazine writing, Article Writing Alina Bradford

Here's What an Editor Wants You to Say in Your Pitches

Ever wonder exactly what editors think about pitches or what advice they would give writers? This editor shares his thoughts.

Ever wonder exactly what editors think about pitches or what advice they would give writers? Sam Dylan Finch created a Twitter thread to give you some insights into an editor’s mind. It was started in July of 2019, but I think the advice never grows old. I’ve embedded the thread here, or you can scroll to the bottom of this page and click on the thread roll for easier reading.

Read More
Article Writing, Blogging, Magazine writing, Writing Business Alina Bradford Article Writing, Blogging, Magazine writing, Writing Business Alina Bradford

The Freelancer Writer’s Guide to Dealing with Clients

As a freelance writer, for me, the work is easy. It’s dealing with the clients that's hard. So, over the past few years I have developed a strategy for dealing with clients, and ensuring I get paid every time!

No matter how put together you think you are as a business person, one day, someone will come along and make your question your sanity, restraint, and professionalism. As a freelance writer, for me, the work is easy. It’s dealing with the clients that's hard. So, over the past few years I have developed a strategy for dealing with clients, and ensuring I get paid every time!

How to Spot a Scam

There are a lot of scammers out there that would just love for you to write something great for them, and then disappear without paying. You can spot the tricksters with these tips:

  • They don’t want to tell you their budget in the ad.

  • Their ad is full of typos.

  • It doesn’t seem like the person who wrote the ad speaks English very well.

  • The ad is very vague about what the gig is about or payment.

  • They try to convince you that your rates are unreasonable and they could get someone else to do it for $3.

  • They disappear for weeks at a time in-between emails.

Here are some more signs that a client will be a PITA (pain in the ass) or a straight-up scammer.

Get Paid Upfront

This may be the most important thing someone will ever tell you about being a freelance writer: ALWAYS get paid at least 50% upfront. If a client doesn’t want give you money upfront, then give them a hard pass. You never do work on a promise. If you do, there’s a big chance you’ll never see your money.

You don’t go up to Walmart and tell the cashier, “I’m going to take this food home. If I like it I’ll come back and pay you for it.”

“But, Alina,” you say, “this is a service job and you pay for those types of jobs after the work is done.” Yes, sometimes you pay for services afterwards, but many smart contractors, like doctors, dentists, landscapers, janitorial services and such make clients pay a deposit, or don’t let them leave the building without at least paying a deductible or making payment arrangements.

What should you say to a client who doesn’t want to pay upfront? Tell them that your time is valuable. A deposit ensures a place on your client list and in your schedule.

The only exception I make to my rule is when I work for large companies that pays their freelancers and employees once a month through direct deposit and I have a contract stating when the money will be deposited each month.

Get Everything in Writing

You’ll find that most clients want to talk things over on the phone. I avoid this in most cases. It is much better to have everything written in an email so you can refer to it when problems arise. Taking a screenshot of an email and sending it to a client to prove what they said is much more effective than, “But you said on the phone…”

I had one client decide that he wanted a refund, basically for no reason. He filed a complaint with PayPal. Luckily, I had proof that I fulfilled my end of the agreement. All I had to do was send PayPal the emails with the client.

If a client REALLY wants to talk on the phone, open up a new email and summarize everything that is agreed upon in the phone conversation. Then, add at the bottom, “Please email me back with confirmation that this information is correct. Send the client the email with the subject line: Summary of Our Phone Conversation. This basically works like a simple written contract.

Here are some more contract tips for freelance writers.

What to Do if You Don’t Get Paid

Unfortunately, this section will be interesting to a lot of you. When you’re an employee and working for someone else, the roles are clear; you’re responsible for doing your job and showing up on time, while your employer is in charge of making sure you get paid. It’s simple and plain. Too bad it's not always that simple when you’re freelancing.

When you’ve told your client that you’d want some of the payment up front and you receive no payment, the course of action is clear. Just tell your client that you’re not doing the work until the payment has cleared.

If you get halfway through the project and another milestone payment is required and they don't pay, stop doing the work.

Give them a friendly reminder. It could have been an honest mistake and you want to keep a courteous tone if this is the case. One reminder is enough, though. If they don't pay up, then remove them from your client list. You don't need someone who is slow in performing the one duty they have towards you.

I like using the invoicing system through PayPal, because I can open a dispute with non-payers and I usually win.

Avoid Scope Creep

Scope creep is when a client keeps asking for more and more without paying you for the extra work. When you’re coming to an agreement, set limits. Here are some rules to prevent scope creep:

  • Limit how many times a client can ask for revisions. Two revisions is usually standard.

  • Set word count or page limits. They want it to be longer? Great, then they must pay more. Let them know what extra pages or words will cost them in your agreement.

  • Charge extra for graphics, photos, video or any other extras or work it into the price.

  • If the client wants weekly in-person meetings, put that in the agreement and charge him for it.

Don’t Be Bullied

Some clients will try to force you to do things their way. Don’t let them. They wouldn’t go to a doctor’s office and tell the doctor, “Oh, it’s not in the budget to get a colonoscopy, so I’m going to need you to give that to me for free. I’ll give you a lot more paid work down the road, though.” Clients need to give you respect or you shouldn’t do business. Let them go stress out someone else. You don’t need that.

Trust me.

The right clients are out there and they are willing to pay you what you’re worth.

Protect Your Work

Always show clients ongoing projects by sending them a link to a Google Doc that is set as “Read Only.” This way, the client can make suggestions, but won’t be able to steal the work without paying. When a final payment is made, simply unlock the document.

Be Professional

My last advice deals with how you present yourself as a professional. The better you are at building an image of yourself as proper, polite and experienced in the work you do, the higher your chances are of getting high-paying, trustworthy clients.

Stay polite and professional, build an online reputation with loads of great reviews and showcase a solid network of other professionals - it will scare those amateur clients away.

Need more tips on getting great freelance gigs? Grab my No-Fluff Freelance Writing Starter Pack. It has everything you need to become successful as a writer.

Read More
Blogging, Article Writing, Magazine writing, Writing Business Alina Bradford Blogging, Article Writing, Magazine writing, Writing Business Alina Bradford

Guide to Writing Niches: Yes, You Need a Niche, Freelance Writers

Here’s everything you need to know about freelance writing niches.

This is by far the biggest question I get from writers: “Do I need a niche?” Umm, yes. This usually makes at least a few people mad. “Why should you limit yourself!? You’re just limiting your income by having a niche!”

Please, have a seat.

I struggled to get paid what I was worth for a long time as a freelance writer. You know why? Because I was a generalist. I would write about anything. When someone asked me what my specialty was I would say, “I can write anything!”

*Insert the sound of a deflating balloon here*

Yah, potential clients don’t want to hear that you write about all kinds of things. They want to know you specialize in their category. They want to know they’ve hired a writer that knows industry terms and sounds like they genuinely know what they’re talking about.

Why Clients Want to Know Your Niche

Okay, think about it this way… You wouldn’t hire someone to paint your car if their sign says, “We can paint anything!” No, you’d want someone who has years of experience painting cars so you know your vehicle will come out looking shiny and flawless.

Picking Niches Changed Everything

Eventually, I wised up and focused on three topics: DIY, health/science and tech. Know what happened when I finally pick some niches? I quadrupled my freelance income.

freelance life

How to Pick a Niche

Picking your niche isn’t as overwhelming as it may seem. All you really need to do is think about what you like writing about. This is the most important thing. Remember, you will be writing about this topic day in and day out, so you better enjoy it.

Here are some ideas to get you started:

  • Do you love researching the latest scientific discoveries? Then you may be a science writer.

  • Can’t wait to write about the latest iPhone? You may be a tech writer.

  • Adore sharing tips on eating healthy? You may be a diet or health writer.

  • Do you like to build or fix things, then write about it? You’re probably a DIY writer.

  • Have the need to share your parenting tips with the world? You could be a parenting writer.

  • Feel the overwhelming urge to talk about movies or the latest Hollywood gossip? You’re probably an entertainment writer.

  • Do you know the difference between post modernism and expressionism? You may like being a fine art writer.

  • Does doing your taxes or following the stock market give you a high? You might be a financial writer.

  • Were you a marketer in another life? Copywriting or content marketing may be for you.

  • Do you love correcting someone’s grammar more than you love writing? You’re probably better suited as a copyeditor.

Pro tip: Perusing job lists (like the ones I post every Monday and Wednesday on this blog) can give you a feel for what kinds of content people are looking for and may even give you some ideas for your niche.

choosing a niche as a freelance writer

Don’t Get Too Narrow, Though

While you’re narrowing down your niche, remember not to get too specific. A broad category will allow you to find ample work, while still anchoring you as an expert.

For example, "tech writer" is nice and broad. This niche label lets me write about anything under that enormous umbrella, including tablets, phones, computers, home hubs, self-driving cars and home security.  If I picked tablet writer, though, my niche would be so narrow I wouldn’t be able to find much work. Plus, I would get bored very quickly!

Your Assignment

Now, I want you to go sit down with your trusty notebook and write down all the things you like to write about. Then, choose no more than three to be your specialty.

Be a Niche Spy: How to Write Authoritative Copy For Niche Clients

Freelance writers, particularly when they’re just starting out, will often take any paying clients that happen to come along. This means that occasionally you’ll need to write for a business that occupies an extremely narrow niche, that you have very little experience with. Obviously, this makes writing consistently high-quality content a little harder than it would be with more conventional clients. Here’s some of the best advice for writing for these niche clients…

Educate Yourself

If you want your work for a niche client to be as fitting and effective as possible, you need to strive to make yourself an expert in that given niche, or at least as close as possible without having to scramble to meet your deadline.


Researching and reading some publications tied to that specific industry is usually the best way to start, as it can introduce you to industry-specific terms which will give your content a potent sense of authority. For example, if you were writing for a company that sells diesel generators, you wouldn’t be able to write a competitive piece of content while sticking to a conversational, generic blogger’s style. The tone would need to be a little more formal and a lot more technical. 

You should strive to educate yourself about any product or service you write about, and this is even more important when it comes to niche clients.

Examine Larger Competitors’ Content Strategy

Your clients are going to want unique content that hooks readers and sticks in their mind. One of the best ways to draw inspiration is by taking a peek at the business’s larger, more successful competitors. You can easily find them by googling the industry. The top results are usually the best in the niche.

Pretend you're a corporate spy.

Okay, don't do anything illegal. Just head on over to their website and take in their copy, their style and their tone. You're going to want to mimic it to a certain extent. To prevent being too copycatty, take a look at several different competitors and look for similarities. This is what you want to incorporate into your approach with your client's copy.

There will also be some competitors who are running a notably worse content strategy, which can be just as important to research and understand. No one’s going to give you their Google Analytics password, no matter how nicely you ask, so you’re going to need to apply a little detective work to see how content is performing. Take a look at their social engagement on social media (how many likes they get, how many comments, how many shares). If they are doing things right, they should have tons of engagement. If not, try to figure out what they are doing differently than their more successful competitors.  

Also take a look at their SERPs, and comments on the posts themselves to gauge how a given piece of content is being received by your client’s target audience. Most importantly, as with anything creative, you should be combining different elements that seem to be working, all the while thinking about some way you can make your content stand out.

Write for the Target Niche Audience

Like I said before, when writing about certain niche businesses, it can be smart to include a few specialised phrases and pieces of jargon that will assure the reader that you know what you’re talking about. Having said that, if you write like a professor in a given field, and use too much specialised language, you could risk alienating the readers you’re trying so hard to attract.

It’s all about getting the balance just right. If the company you’re writing for targets B2B clients, then you should write according to the basic knowledge of these people, without getting too complex and trying to sound too clever. If a prospective customer has to keep opening a dictionary in another tab just to figure out what your content is actually saying, they’re not going to stay on the page for long!

Want more tips on becoming a successful freelance writer? Read my book:

The Fluff-Free Freelance Writing Master Course: The only course that gives you concrete, actionable information to building a successful freelance business without any fluff.

Read More
Article Writing, Blogging, Magazine writing Alina Bradford Article Writing, Blogging, Magazine writing Alina Bradford

What is Evergreen Content?

No matter what kind of writing you do, you’ll probably come across a client or publication that needs “evergreen” articles or blog posts. This is an important term to know since it is a very specific type of content. It’s easy to screw up if you’re not 100% sure what evergreen means. No worries, I’m here to help.

what is evergreen content.jpg

What is evergreen content?

An evergreen is a tree that stays green all year round. There isn't a specific season where it has leaves. Evergreen content is the same way. These articles and blog posts are intended to be useful all year, not just during a certain time. Usually, these articles are SEO optimized.

Evergreen content vs. non-evergreen

The opposite of evergreen articles are “timely” articles or articles focused on a certain time, holiday, news item, or event. Let’s compare the two.

Examples of timely article titles:

  • This Holiday Trick will Save Your Turkey

  • The FDA Just Approved the XYZ Drug for Aneurisms

  • This New Alexa Feature Lets You Sing with Lady Gaga

  • 10 Tips to Make Your Summer Better

  • Tax Season is Coming: Use These 5 Tips to Avoid Audits

Examples of evergreen article titles:

Examples of evergreen articles that I have written that you can study:

what is evergreen content1.jpg


Why publications want evergreen content

Evergreen articles and blog posts are a common ask because they are the foundation of the traffic scheme of a publication. Timely articles typically bring in a lot of traffic, but only for a limited time. Evergreen content may not have an explosion of traffic, but it brings in a steady flow over time, if done well.

These articles also tend to help a site with search ranking because they are still relevant year after year, giving the site authority points with search engines like Google. Older articles are often given seniority over newer articles, as long as they are still relevant.

Elements of evergreen content

Evergreen content should include information that is useful whenever the article is accessed by your reader and should never feel dated. Generally, you want to avoid anything that will make the article become outdated or specific to a certain time frame. There are several things you need to exclude from an evergreen piece to achieve this. Here are some things to avoid:

  • Commenting on how something is coming in the future. Eventually, the future will be the past, making the article outdated. For example, don’t say something like, “Spring is coming soon.”

  • Saying “this year.” Instead, say something like, “In (the year), xyz happened.”

  • Including statistics from more than a year ago. Use statistic from as recently as possible so the information stays fresher, longer.

  • Talking about a sale. Sales expire, so they aren’t evergreen.

what is evergreen articles.jpg

Common types of evergreen articles

Generally, there are certain types of articles that are more likely to be evergreen. These include:

  • How-to

  • Tips

  • Listicles

  • Reviews

  • Reference

  • Guides

  • Case studies

  • Round-up

Generally, news articles, articles about new features of a product or service, time-based round-ups or listicles (like The Best SEO Tips of 2001), and announcements are not evergreen.

If you’d like a step-by-step guide on how to become a successful writer, check out my book The Fluff-Free Freelance Writing Master Course Workbook: The only course that gives you concrete, actionable information to building a successful freelance business without any fluff.

Read More
Blogging, Article Writing, Magazine writing Alina Bradford Blogging, Article Writing, Magazine writing Alina Bradford

10 Tips for Creating Headlines and Titles that Get Clicked

For freelance writers, crafting great headlines that capture readers' attention increases the chance of getting a click and eventual customer conversions. Here’s how to get better at it.

It's difficult to write irresistible headlines. It's a fact, even for old pros like myself. For freelance writers, crafting great headlines that capture readers' attention increases the chance of getting a click and eventual customer conversions.

An iconic headline from almost two decades ago.

How can you ensure that you have the perfect headline? Here are some ideas from Dave McDonald and myself:

  1. Make your headline inviting by giving them an answer to what they are looking for. Example: "This (blank) Trick Makes Your Life Easier in Just 10 Minutes."

  2. But don't reveal everything. For example, "This Trick will Lower Your Electric Bill by 25%" tells the readers that they are going to learn something to lower their electric bill, but doesn't give any clues as to what in the title. Curiosity will get the best of most people and they'll click.

  3. Research customer demographics so that you'll know what the visitors to your site are looking for. They might be looking for new products, practical tips, useful information or new ideas, for example.

  4. Make sure your headline is unique, very specific, useful and presents a sense of urgency.

  5. Do away with commercial wordings that most other e-marketers are using. Instead be prepared to take some risks.

  6. Taglines can be used as headlines effectively.

  7. Grab your reader's attention by starting your headline with "How to…" since this indicates you're providing them with useful information.

  8. A number in the title ensures your readers will be intrigued by what you have to say. ("20 Unexpected ways to use dryer sheets" is one of my most popular articles on CNET.) Just ensure that the list contents fully support the headline.

  9. Employ an element of surprise by presenting the readers with something unexpected. It can tickle your audience's curiosity. Novelty and unpredictability are things that stimulate the brain, ensuring that readers will stay and read on. "Angelina Jolie Doesn't Look Like Herself Anymore" is a good example of piquing curiosity.

  10. Add a little humor. “Annoying 2000s Tech We Kinda Miss” is a title example that uses a little fun to draw people in.

Bonus tip: Borrow what works. Titles can't be copyrighted so you really don't need to worry about plagiarism. If you see a great headline jot it down to use as inspiration later. Integrity wise, it is best to borrow and customize headlines created for a niche outside of your own so it doesn't look like you're just copying your competitors.

Get more ideas by checking out the infographics below.

How To Create Headlines That Get More Clicks and Conversions

Need more help with starting your freelancing career? Take my master course on how to become a well-paid freelance writer.

Read More
Article Writing, Magazine writing, Blogging Site Contributor Article Writing, Magazine writing, Blogging Site Contributor

Steps You Can Take To Become The Ultimate Travel Writer

Here are some tips to consider to become the ultimate travel writer. Guest Post by Jennifer Ranking

Guest Post by Jennifer Ranking

When you scroll through your Instagram timeline it’s almost as if everyone’s out travelling except you! It appears to be the trend nowadays and it’s no surprise why it is, the world is a beautiful thing and something that should be explored when you’re given the opportunity. Audiences love to read about experiences as inspiration and knowledge of what to expect for their travels. Travel writers are seen as influencers who have been around the block and know they’re stuff.

So, how do you become one of them people too? Here are some tips to consider to become the ultimate travel writer.

Be Dedicated To Your Writing

In order to become a travel writer, you first need to build the foundations of being a successful writer first. Travelling is the knowledge, but writing is the skill you have to get to spot on in order to be successful. You need to be able to communicate your experiences well and in a way that will engage your readers with what you have to say. Start by writing creative pieces and gradually improve your vocabulary and skills as a writer before you begin to write about your travelling experiences.

Consider Writing School or Journalism

A great advantage of journalism is that you slowly begin to learn how to make notes quickly and write great pieces in a short space of time. This means you won’t be spending too much time on writing the pieces and instead, you can enjoy telling your story without it taking too much of your time and continue your experiences of travelling. Get yourself in with the local newspapers or see if there are any writing schools that you can attend to improve on the skills that you’re developing.

Start Off Writing On Subjects That Aren’t About Yourself

Writing helps to get your name out there and gets your work published easily, almost satisfying the ego that people want to hear from you and what you have to say. What’s ironic about this though is that the skill to write about yourself can be rather difficult and sharing something about what you’ve done may not come across the best. Therefore, when you first start out why not try writing interviews or profiles instead and this way you can easily identify a theme and prevent getting sidetracked.

Review Your Writing Over And Over Again

The biggest waste when it comes to writing is that writers tend to use up too many words for a sentence which they could have articulated in a more efficient way. Writers feel as though revising the work that they’ve completed contradicts their creativity, but when you read over your work again you can easily find that your point is not as effective as what it could be. Revise and rewrite until your story flows and makes perfect sense.

Develop A Network

The biggest driver of being successful as a travel writer is developing a network in your field. There are plenty of travel writers across social networks and blogs that are easy to connect with. In doing so, it can help build your own reputation as a travel writer and have you integrating with the correct people. Over time, you’ll find yourself writing to a mass audience that you’ve created.

Keep Motivated

Most important of all, remain persistent. If there’s one downfall of writers that don’t make it it’s because they fell at the first hurdle when it arrived. It’s going to take time to build your reputation and get your stories shared in the masses, but how bad do you really want it?

The travelling influencer market is forever growing and there are still plenty of writers who are yet to master their trade. What’s written today is probably forgotten by tomorrow. Your stories have the chance to make a difference, to provide knowledge and form education for your readers. So, before you begin writing about your travelling experience from your luxury Algarve villa, take a step back and dedicate your time to learning your craft. After that, the world is your oyster from a travelling and writing point of view.






Read More
Writing jobs, Magazine writing, Article Writing Alina Bradford Writing jobs, Magazine writing, Article Writing Alina Bradford

Here's How to Find out How Much Publications Pay Their Writers Before You Pitch

Have you ever wondered what your favorite magazine or website pays their writers? I bet you have, especially if your ever thought about pitching them an article idea. There are several ways you can investigate their rates. Here’s how.

There have been times when I have sent a pitch to a magazine, have my pitch accepted, and then be crushed to find out that the publication doesn’t pay. Since then, I never pitch unless I know a magazine’s rates.

There are several ways you can investigate their rates. Here’s how.

How much do magazines pay writers? It depends!

Writer’s Market

Writer’s Market has been around for decades and gives writers a detailed inside scoop on rates, submission guidelines and editor contact information. I got my very first copy when I was just 16 years old. You can get the Writer’s Market (it hasn’t been updated for 2021 yet) in book form, or you can join their online site for a fee.

From Amazon:

Writer's Market Deluxe Edition 2019 includes everything you expect in a regular copy of Writer's Market, PLUS a one-year subscription to WritersMarket.com. With it, you'll gain instant access to more than 7,500 listings for book publishers, magazines, contests, literary agents, and more--with daily updates.

Beyond the listings, you'll find all-new material devoted to the business and promotion of writing. Discover the secrets to ten-minute marketing, how to make money covering live events, and seven steps to doubling your writing income. Plus, you'll learn how to do video effectively, create a business plan for success, and so much more. This edition includes the ever-popular pay-rate chart and book publisher subject index!

You also gain access to:

Lists of professional writing organizations

Sample query letters

A free digital download of Writer's Yearbook, featuring the 100 Best Markets: WritersDigest.com/WritersDigest-Yearbook-18

Contently’s Rates Database

Contently has a database where writers can add how much a publication paid them, along with any notes on the editors. This database is free to anyone who’s curious. It’s updated often and you can add information anonymously, too. Here’s some of the latest updates:

One of the best things about this database is you can find out which publications are deadbeats and don’t pay on time… or at all. You can view the Contently Rates Database here.

Who Pays Writers

I have a list of 20+ High Paying Magazines Looking For Pitches, but I want more. There’s never enough information when it comes to rates, in my option. So, another great resource I love is Who Pays Writers.

Who Pays Writers.jpg

Basically, you find a publication in the alphabetically list on the left, and then the rates will pop up on the screen. You can also submit information about websites and magazines you’ve written for to help keep the database up-to-date.

Journalism Freelance Rates

Another good database is the JR Database. It is updated fairly often, so they have recent information about publication rates. I also like how easy the site is to use.

journalism rates.jpg


Find a publication that you like and that pays well? Read this next article on how to pitch magazine articles to editors.

No-Fluff Freelance Writer Starter Pack
Quick View
No-Fluff Freelance Writer Starter Pack
$29.97

My No-Fluff Freelance Writing Starter Pack teaches you how I make a good living at home as a freelance writer.

Use my 20+ years of experience to build an at-home career that you’ll love without all the pitfalls.

The Pack includes my mega course, contract templates, invoice templates and more.

Learn how to:

  • Get clients

  • Create and organize clips

  • Pick a niche

  • Write awesome content that readers and clients will love

  • Use SEO and social media marketing in your business

  • Create contracts

  • And more!

Read More
Blogging, Article Writing, Writing jobs, Writing Business Alina Bradford Blogging, Article Writing, Writing jobs, Writing Business Alina Bradford

15 Places Where You Can Find Freelance Writing Jobs

Looking for a freelance writing job? Try these free freelance writing job boards.

Looking for a freelance writing job? Try these free freelance writing job boards. Some of the links are custom-made searches I set up on popular sites so you’ll only be presented with remote writing jobs you can do from home.

Also, don’t forget to check back at nofluffwriter.com every Wednesday for writing gigs that are 100% remote.

  1. Freelance Writing Gigs

  2. All Freelance Writing Job Board

  3. Absolute Write Paying Jobs Forum

  4. Freelance Writing.com

  5. ProBlogger

  6. Google Remote Writer Job Search

  7. Pitchwiz

  8. Indeed Remote Writer Search

  9. MediaBistro Remote Writer Search

  10. LinkedIn Remote Writer Search

  11. Monster Remote Writer Search

  12. ZipRecruiter Remote Writer Search

  13. Remote.co

  14. Glassdoor Remote Writer Job Search

  15. Simply Hired Remote Writer Job Search

Other Articles You May Like

Read More
Article Writing, Blogging Alina Bradford Article Writing, Blogging Alina Bradford

What to Do When You Have Haters: How to Deal with Online Trolls Without Losing Your Cool

Here’s how to deal with people that don’t like what you write.

At one point, you’re going to get hit with comments about your articles that hurt. They say that you know you've hit the big time when you have haters. No matter how good you are or how eloquent you are, you're going to have some hateful comments on your website or social media content. It happens. Some people have nothing better to do than to be negative.

How to deal with online trolls

For example, I wrote an article for CNET about unusual things you can wash in the dishwasher. People got irate, to say the least. I was dumbfounded. It was an article about washing objects like kids toys in the dishwasher for Pete's sake. Someone on Twitter said that my dishwasher article was "irresponsible journalism, almost criminally so." People really take their dishwasher how-to tips too seriously. Criminally? It's not like I told people to wash their baby in the dishwasher. I didn't even suggest that puppies could be put in the dishwasher. The article was researched and tested.

Oh, well. You just have to shake it off and remember that even angry people are giving you page views, comments and other interaction that can help your content be successful.

Should You Answer a Comment?

how to reply to comments

The best way to respond is with silence. These type of people are looking for attention, begging for a fight. Answering them just fuels their little troll fire.

Of course, if the person commenting has a legitimate problem or question, address it. Make sure to be tactful, though. Thank them for their comment and answer with as few words as possible. The briefness will give them little room to argue if the person was just baiting you.

Put It Out of Your Mind and Your Social Media Account

you mad bro kermit

It's really hard to walk away when Facebook or Twitter alerts you to every reply on a post. I know it's a struggle for me! On Facebook you can turn off notifications for certain posts or you can block troublemakers. On Twitter you can put people on mute, which means you won't see any more comments or posts by that person, or you can block them.

Keep Cool, Calm and Collected

Above all, it is important to keep your cool and not to engage in a back-and-forth argument. People love sharing internet arguments and you may just find your comment battle going viral, which can destroy you or your brand's reputation.

Read More
Article Writing Alina Bradford Article Writing Alina Bradford

Warning: Your Byline May Not Be Your Byline Forever

Bye, bye byline? Maybe! Here’s how to protect your byline.

As you may or may not know, I have been a writer for well over two decades. During that time I have written thousands of articles. A large portion of them no longer have my name as a byline. No, they weren’t ghostwritten. Losing your byline is a common problem in the content writing world, and I’ll tell you why.

Contracts and loopholes

When you create work for a website, unless you have a contract that states you retain rights, in the US the work is considered “work made for hire.” In this case, your client, the online magazine or site, gets the copyright for your work one it is paid for in full.

According to the US Copyright Office:

For legal purposes, when a work is a “work made for hire,” the author is not the individual who actually created the work. Instead, the party that hired the individual is considered both the author and the copyright owner of the work.

Whether a work is a work made for hire is determined by facts in existence at the time the work is created. There are two situations in which a work made for hire is produced:

(1) when the work is created by an employee as part of the employee’s regular duties and (2) when a certain type of work is created as a result of an express written agreement between the creator and a party specially ordering or commissioning the work. When a work is produced under these conditions, the employer or the party ordering or commissioning the work is considered the author and copyright owner.

You can read more about writing contracts here.

What does this have to do with your byline? Very simply, once you have written the article and the site has paid for it, they can put whatever name they want as the byline because they own the article.

Why sites change bylines

Now, most sites don’t change the bylines to be sneaky and take credit for work that you did (though some do!). Most of the time, over the months or years after the article is live, publications will bring in other writers to update the article. The publication will then put that writer’s name as the byline. I’ve had this happen to my articles more times than I can count.

How to save your bylines

CBS News.PNG

By this point, you’re probably a little disturbed. How are you supposed to build clips for your portfolio if a publication changes your byline? Years ago I would have suggested making sure that you retain rights to your articles, but most large sites and companies these days require that all contracts be work made for hire contracts. When it’s company policy, most editors don’t have the ability to change the contract for writers. So, what’s another option?

As soon as the article is published, take a full-page screenshot, including your byline and the site name or logo. Then, add the screenshot to your website.

To take a full-page screen shot that includes your entire article, there are several options. If you have Chrome as your browser you can use the GoFullPage extension. You can also use software like Snagit or a website like Web-capture.net. No matter what option you choose, be sure to save your clips so you can use them later.

Read More
Article Writing, Magazine writing Alina Bradford Article Writing, Magazine writing Alina Bradford

Getting Ghosted by an Editor? Here's Why

Just about any writer that has been working with publications for a year or more has run into the magical disappearing editor. Here's why they disappear and how to solve the problem.

One of the most frustrating things that happens to us freelance writers is an editor that ghosts for no apparent reason. They loved your work and you had a great relationship. Why the silence all the sudden? Why can’t they email you back? Is it your pitches? I’ve had this happen to me many times, and there’s one major reason why editors don’t reply.

Change happens…often

First of all, it’s probably not your fault. In the publication world, editors come and go frequently. And when an editor joins a publication, they get an email address that is specifically for that publication. When the editor moves to a new publication, no on is checking that old email address anymore, so all of your emails go unread.

Why some editors just leave and don’t tell their writers is beyond me. (You’d think they would want to keep their writers happy just incase they need them again in the future.) Once they leave, your connection with that editor is severed…unless…

You keep connected with editors

image.jpg


You need to take action when you make a connection with a new editor. Once you’ve made contact with an editor at a publication, make sure to connect with them on LinkedIn. That way, no matter where their career takes them, you can still get in touch with them about an article idea.

When reaching out, make sure to remind them about who you are in the connection message. Something like, “Hi, Amy. We recently worked together at XYZ Magazine on an article about ghosts in Texas boarding houses. I would love to connect here on LinkedIn.” Chances are, your connection will be accepted, and who knows, they may even offer you another chance to pitch an article.

BTW

If you haven’t heard back after just one email, an editor could have just missed your email. Sending a follow-up with your original message copy and pasted in the new email is always smart after about a week with no reply. If you don’t hear back after a follow-up, the editor may have moved on.

Read More
Blogging, Article Writing Alina Bradford Blogging, Article Writing Alina Bradford

10 Free Sites for Creating Amazing Article Content

You don't need to hire a designer to create memes, website images and infographics to make your content go viral, either. Here is everything you need in one list.

I know a lot of you want to design your own visuals for your client's articles or blog content. It just makes you look good as a writer. If you listen to many website gurus, you may think you need Photoshop to create fantastic images for your content site. Not true!

There's no reason to spend almost $700 on software that will take you months to learn when there are free photo editing tools online that take no skills what so ever. You don't need to hire a designer to create memes, website images and infographics to make your content go viral, either. Here is everything you need in one list.


Free Photo Editing Software

Let your photos no longer be boring and unedited. Try out a couple of these free photo editing tools. You'll be adding some snap to your content in no time.

pablo photo editor

1. Pablo

Have you ever lusted after those sites that have beautiful article images overlaid with pretty quotes or the titles of their articles? Well lust no more. Pablo by Buffer provides you with the beautiful stock images, the fonts and the layering capability. All you need to do is come up with the text.

be funky photo editing

2. Be Funky

I love Be Funky. You can use their tools to make your photos totally retro, in a good way. Groovy! They also have stock photos you can use for free.

pic monkey photo editing

3. Pic Monkey

Pic Monkey is one of the most popular free photo editing software sites out there, and for good reason. Not only does it give you the capability to edit photos, you can also use it to create far out photo projects with overlays, frames, textures and more.

4. GIMP

When you need a huge amount of editing tools, but like a zero on the price tag, consider downloading GIMP. Think of GIMP as Photoshop's ugly twin. They both have tons of features, but GIMP is a little clunkier to use. Hey, the price is right, though!

Free Tools to Make Memes, Infographics and More Content

Memes, infographics, gifs and other visuals can help make your content go viral. A lot of the bigger sites hire people to create these visuals for them, but if you are on a tight budget, these free tools can get the job done in a pinch.

free photo editing software

5. Meme Generator

Everyone is mad for memes and the Meme Generator makes creating your own simple and quick. Just browse through premade memes, add your own text, download them, and you're in business. Or, you can start from scratch with your own photo. Just upload your photo, fill in the text fields and boom! You've made your own meme.

Easily content

6. Easel.ly

Easel.ly is easily the most awesome visual tool I use. (See what I did there?) It gives you everything you need to create stunning infographics and simple drag-and-drop tools. I use it constantly for myself and my customers. The best part? Easel.ly creates code so that you can embed your infographic on websites.

The free version has a lot of great visuals to start with, but if you want to go pro, I recommend upgrading.

giphy free gifs content

7. Giphy

Sometimes you just need a snappy gif to make your blog post or social media post just a little more special. Never fear, Giphy is here to supply you will all the gifs your heart could possibly desire, for free.

8. Three Graphs

Need a chart to illustrate some stats? Three Graphs is the site to hit up. You can create a variety of different types of charts, choose your chart's colors and more.

9. Siege Media Embedded Code Generator

How many times have you created an awesome visual and then wanted to allow people to share it, but remembered you don't know a thing about creating embedded code? I've been there! The solution is using Siege Media Embedded Code Generator. No skill required!

how to make your own customized map

10. MapBox

Maps are a cool visual that's not utilized as often as it should be. MapBox makes creating your own maps easy and, dare I say it, fun. Just input your data and you're map comes out like you hired Magellan.

Got any image creation tools or sites you're dying to share? Let me know!

Read More
Blogging, Article Writing, Creativity, Magazine writing Alina Bradford Blogging, Article Writing, Creativity, Magazine writing Alina Bradford

This Strange Technique Will Help You Get Over Writer's Block

If you’re a writer — of books, essays, scripts, blog posts, whatever — you’re familiar with the phenomenon: the blank screen, a looming deadline, and a sinking feeling in your gut that pairs poorly with the jug of coffee you drank earlier. Here’s how to fix it using your voice.

Ever heard of Automatic Transcription? Yah, me neither. It is an unusual way writers can get rid of writer’s block. This guest article by Jason Kincaid was originally published by Descript and has been posted here with their permission:

If you’re a writer — of books, essays, scripts, blog posts, whatever — you’re familiar with the phenomenon: the blank screen, a looming deadline, and a sinking feeling in your gut that pairs poorly with the jug of coffee you drank earlier.

If you know that rumble all too well: this post is for you. Maybe it’ll help you get out of a rut; at the very least, it’s good for a few minutes of procrastination.

Here’s the core idea: thinking out loud is often less arduous than writing. And it’s now easier than ever to combine the two, thanks to recent advances in speech recognition technology.

Of course, dictation is nothing new — and plenty of writers have taken advantage of it. Carl Sagan’s voluminous output was facilitated by his process of speaking into an audio recorder, to be transcribed later by an assistant (you can listen to some of his dictations in the Library of Congress!) And software like Dragon’s Naturally Speaking has offered automated transcription for people with the patience and budget to pursue it.

But it’s only in the last couple of years that automated transcription has reached a sweet spot — of convenience, affordability and accuracy—that makes it practical to use it more casually. And I’ve found it increasingly useful for generating a sort of proto-first draft: an alternative approach to the painful process of converting the nebulous wisps inside your head into something you can actually work with.

I call this process idea extraction (though these ideas may be more accurately dubbed brain droppings).

Part I: Extraction

Here’s how my process works. Borrow what works for you and forget the rest — and let me know how it goes!

  • Pick a voice recorder. Start talking. Try it with a topic you’ve been chewing on for weeks — or when an idea flits your head. Don’t overthink it. Just start blabbing.

  • The goal is to tug on as many threads as you come across, and to follow them as far as they go. These threads may lead to meandering tangents— and you may discover new ideas along the way.

  • A lot of those new ideas will probably be embarrassingly bad. That’s fine. You’re already talking about the next thing! And unlike with text, your bad ideas aren’t staring you in the face.

  • Consider leaving comments to yourself as you go — e.g. “Maybe that’d work for the intro”. These will come in handy later.

  • For me, these recordings run anywhere from 20–80 minutes. Sometimes they’re much shorter, in quick succession. Whatever works.

Part II: Transcription

Once I’ve finished recording, it’s time to harness ⚡️The Power of Technology⚡️

A little background: over the last couple of years there’s been an explosion of tools related to automatic speech recognition (ASR) thanks to huge steps forward in the underlying technologies.

Here’s how ASR works: you import your audio into the software, the software uses state-of-the-art machine learning to spit back a text transcript a few minutes later. That transcript won’t be perfect—the robots are currently in the ‘Write drunk’ phase of their careers. But for our purposes that’s fine: you just need it to be accurate enough that you can recognize your ideas.

Once you have your text transcript, your next step is up to you: maybe you’re exporting your transcript as a Word doc and revising from there. Maybe you’re firing up your voice recorder again to dictate a more polished take. Maybe only a few words in your audio journey are worth keeping — but that’s fine too. It probably didn’t cost you much (and good news: the price for this tech will continue to fall in the years ahead).



A few more tips:

  • Use a recorder/app that you trust. Losing a recording is painful — and the anxiety of losing another can derail your most exciting creative moments (“I hope this recorder is working. Good, it is... @#*! where was I?”)

  • Audio quality matters when it comes to automatic transcription. If your recording has a lot of background noise or you’re speaking far away from the mic, the accuracy is going to drop. Consider using earbuds (better yet: Airpods) so you can worry less about where you’re holding the recorder.

  • Find a comfortable space. Eventually you may get used to having people overhear your musings, but it’s a lot easier to let your mind “go for a walk” when you’re comfortable in your environment.

  • Speaking of walking: why not go for a stroll? The pains of writing can have just as much to do with being stationary and hunched over. Walking gets your blood flowing — and your ideas too.

  • I have a lot of ideas, good and bad, while I’m thinking out loud and playing music at the same time (in my case, guitar — but I suspect it applies more broadly). There’s something about playing the same four-chord song on auto pilot for the thousandth time that keeps my hands busy and leaves my mind free to wander.

The old ways of doing things — whether it’s with a keyboard or pen — still have their advantages. Putting words to a page can force a sort of linear thinking that is otherwise difficult to maintain. And when it comes to editing, it’s no contest: QWERTY or bust.

But for getting those first crucial paragraphs down (and maybe a few keystone ideas to build towards)? Consider talking to yourself. Even if you wind up with a transcript full of nothing but profanity — well, have you ever seen a transcript full of profanity? You could do a lot worse.

Read More
Article Writing, Blogging, Magazine writing Alina Bradford Article Writing, Blogging, Magazine writing Alina Bradford

The Warning Signs of a Trouble Client & How to Safeguard Your Writing Business

There’s nothing worse than a crappy client. As a freelance writer, one of the most important skills you can hone is how to sidestep a potentially bad client.

It’s inevitable. As a freelance writer, you’re going to come across some real turds. There will be people who want to pay you pennies. People who ask too much for too little. People who refuse to pay.

One of the most important skills you can hone is how to sidestep a potentially bad client. Knowing how to do this well will save you time and allow you to make more money in the long run.

Ugg…One of those

I often get emails asking me to write thousands of words for at $10 to $20 a pop. I typically end up telling them my regular clients pay me more than quadruple that or more for the same services. This usually makes them angry. (Not always, but usually.) Low-balling is the first sign that a client is not worth your time. They often haggle, then don't pay at all. If they do pay, they'll be big pains in the ass the entire way through.

This is just one sign of a client that will give you more headaches than dollar signs. Here's some more.

How to tell if a client will be a PITA

  • He insists on calling you, even if you tell them you would rather use email. It's easier to say there was a "misunderstanding" in the agreement if it's verbal.

  • She tells you she's on a budget. Oh, lord. This is code for stingy and wants articles for $3 each, tops.

  • He wants you to write a "sample" article on a topic he picks. Honey, your clips are enough. Unless that article is a paid sample or the company is huge and reputable, just say no.

  • She needs the article ASAP. Unless she's willing to pay for ASAP, pass.

  • email riten lik this. their uprofess inal and un trust worthy. (Yes, I wrote it that way as an illustration. Don't send me emails!)

  • Ghosts for several days before answering your emails.

  • Hates everything you do or wants major edits. Typically, the cheaper the client, the more edits they'll want.

  • Has a long chain of command that must approve all work you do.

  • Promises "exposure."

  • Promises that they will pay more in the future if their business takes off. This should go without saying! Damn skippy you will.

  • Barrages you with emails in a very short amount of time about the project, even though you haven't agreed to do it yet.

How to prevent bad clients

Well, obviously, first you look for any of the warning signs above. There are some other tactics you can take to ensure you always get paid and you have happy working experiences. You can read more about how to deal with clients here, but here’s some good tips to start:

  • Be sure to get payment upfront (or at least half). If they refuse they can't afford you or don't trust you. Neither make for a happy work environment.

  • Make your terms clear on your website. Here's a look at mine.

  • Don't be afraid to say no if you get a funny feeling. Listen to your gut.

  • Even if you're new to freelance writing, don't let a potential client bully you into insulting rates. Even as a newbie you still know more than your client, and that's worth a lot.

  • Avoid scope creep by refusing to do work that wasn’t agreed to without adding more money to your fee.

  • Make sure you get everything in writing, whether that be a formal contract or emails. Trust me. You'll thank me later when crap hits the fan.

Need more good paying clients? Read my book The Fluff-Free Freelance Writing Master Course: The only course that gives you concrete, actionable information to building a successful freelance business without any fluff.

Read More
Blogging, Magazine writing, Article Writing Alina Bradford Blogging, Magazine writing, Article Writing Alina Bradford

How Much Should I Get Paid for Freelance Writing?

"How much should I get paid for freelance writing?" I hear this question all the time. For my No-Fluff readers out there I'll break it down.

"How much should I get paid for freelance writing?" I hear this question all the time. I could just answer with a vague, "It depends," (because it really does!) but for my No-Fluff readers out there I'll break it down. Here are the basics to determining how much to charge as a freelance writer, no matter if you’re new, or have been a professional writer for years.

How Much Money Do You Need?

Before anything else, you need to decide how much money you need. You see, you can make anything from a few dollars to a few thousand dollars per week. As a freelancer, you get to decide what you get paid and what hours you work. So sit down and do the math.

  1. Start by deciding how much money you need to survive each month. That includes paying bills and buying essentials like clothing, food, medicine, etc.

  2. Take your first figure and decide how much more than that you would need to live comfortably, meaning you could afford a few extras or keep your savings account well fed.

  3. Now, break that monthly total down into how much money you need to make per week by dividing the amount by four.

  4. Find the daily amount by dividing your weekly amount by seven or however many days you want to work per week.

  5. Finally, decide how many hours you want to work per day.

  6. How much you charge per hour, multiplied the number of hours you want to work per day, should equal how much money you need to earn per day.

So: What you want to make / Number of hours you want to work = Hourly fee

Say I decided that I needed to earn $2,000 per week to live comfortably. Then assume I only want to work five days a week so that I have weekends off and I only want to work five hours per day, tops. That means I need to make $400 per day. To achieve this, I charge a minimum of $80 per hour.

Charging by the project

Usually, freelance writers don’t charge by the hour, they charge by the project. For example, I wouldn’t tell clients I charge $80 per hour. I charge a set price for a project by deciding how many hours it will take me. So a blog post that will take me around two hours would cost a client around $160, bare minimum.

My prices are higher than my bare minimum, though. The bare minimum is just a guideline so I know how low I can haggle with a client without shooting myself in the foot. Also, I usually round up to the nearest $100. So, the cost would come out to $200. Why? Because I can! I also round up the hours. If it will take me 30 minutes, I charge for an hour.

Consider all the factors

There are some other factors that can add to your bare minimum pricing. Add more to the price if the piece needs interviews, research, images… or the client seems like they are going to be a pain in the butt (more on how to deal with them here).

Articles per day matter, too

We’re still not done. Now you need to decide how many articles per day you want to do. With the example above, if I charged $100 per article, I would need to write 20 articles a week or four articles per day to make my $2,000 per week goal. But that’s a lot of articles. I myself can’t write four a day. My limit is two.

If your brain blitzes out after one article, then you’ll only be able to do one article per day. No need to be ashamed or try to press yourself past your limit. That will lead to poor product quality and burnout.

Ultimately, you’ll need to up your rate to meet your income needs and your mental needs.

Experience

But Alina, you may be saying, if I only write one article per day and my goal is $2,000 per month, I would need to charge $400 per article and I’m not experienced enough to charge that much! To that I would say, maybe. If you’re approaching clients and proposing charging that much, I would agree. But there’s a loophole.

There are plenty of online magazines that will pay that and more. All you need to do is come up with a great idea, pitch it, and then nail the article. Now, I know it’s harder than that, but most editors don’t care if you’re new if you have a great idea and you can prove you can write well with a couple of clips. So, you have the potential to make way more than your minimum per article, meaning you can write less to meet your goals.

Make sense?

In the end, my answer to the question, "How much should I get paid for freelance writing," is simply:

"How much do you want to get paid?"

Want more great tips like these? Read my book:

The Fluff-Free Freelance Writing Master Course Workbook: The only course that gives you concrete, actionable information to building a successful freelance business without any fluff.

Read More
Blogging, Article Writing Alina Bradford Blogging, Article Writing Alina Bradford

Do You Write Weak Words? Find out!

Make your writing stronger with these tweaks!

How strong are the words you write? Weak words can leave your articles, blogs, social media posts, and more, insubstantial. Here's how to find your wilty words and plump them up with interesting alternatives thanks to this illuminating infographic.

5 Weak Words to Avoid & What to Use Instead (Infographic)

Source: www.grammarcheck.net

Read More
Article Writing, Blogging, Magazine writing Alina Bradford Article Writing, Blogging, Magazine writing Alina Bradford

140+ Keyboard shortcuts to make writing faster

Here’s a huge list of shortcuts and why you need them in your life.

I’ve been seeing a post going around Facebook about keyboard shortcuts that can save you time while writing. It’s information that’s well known to people who have been writing (or just typing!) for a long time, so I thought I would share a big long list with you, just in case you didn’t know all of the PC keyboard shortcuts. Here’s the shortcuts and why you need them in your life.

keyboard shortcuts for writers 2.jpg

What are keyboard shortcuts?

What are keyboard shortcuts? The are keys you press to signal to your computer that you want a certain function. For example, the most common shortcut is pressing the CTRL button and the C button to copy highlighted text on the screen. There are around dozens of combinations.

Benefits of memorizing keyboard shortcuts

Just by memorizing the shortcuts you’ll use most, you can shave massive amounts of time off your writing sessions over a day, a month, and a year. I know, I used to be stubborn, too, and wouldn’t learn them. I mean, how long does it really take to use your mouse to click on the Bold or Italic option in WordPress or Microsoft Word?

Over time, I realized that taking my hands off the keyboard to reach for my mouse halted my thought process and it took a bit to get back on track once my hands were back on the keyboard. So, keyboard shortcuts let me process my thoughts much faster, saving a lot of time.

How to memorize keyboard shortcuts

Be sure to print these out and keep them by your computer so that you can glance at them while your writing and start using them. Even better, write a few down on a sticky note and post them somewhere near your screen until you have them memorized. Then, post some more. Before you know it, you’ll have them all memorized!

Keyboard shortcuts to make writing faster

Okay, No-Fluff writer. Without further ado, I present to you the list of keyboard shortcuts that will make your typing faster, and a few that will help with flipping back and forth while researching, reading emails, and other tasks:

GENERAL SHORTCUTS (the first 8 generally work on most programs or content management system, like Wordpress for example)

  1. CTRL+A. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Select All

  2. CTRL+C. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Copy

  3. CTRL+X. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Cut

  4. CTRL+V. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Paste

  5. CTRL+Z. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Undo

  6. CTRL+B. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Bold

  7. CTRL+U. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Underline

  8. CTRL+I . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Italic

  9. F1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Help

  10. F2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Rename selected object

  11. F3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Find all files

  12. F4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Opens file list drop-down in dialogs

  13. F5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Refresh current window

  14. F6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Shifts focus in Windows Explorer

  15. F10 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Activates menu bar options

  16. ALT+TAB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Cycles between open applications

  17. ALT+F4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Quit program, close current window

  18. ALT+F6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Switch between current program windows

  19. ALT+ENTER. . . . . . . . . . . . . . Opens properties dialog

  20. ALT+SPACE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . System menu for current window

  21. ALT+¢ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . opens drop-down lists in dialog boxes

  22. BACKSPACE . . . . . . . . . . . . . Switch to parent folder

  23. CTRL+ESC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Opens Start menu

  24. CTRL+ALT+DEL . . . . . . . . . . Opens task manager, reboots the computer

  25. CTRL+TAB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Move through property tabs

  26. CTRL+SHIFT+DRAG . . . . . . . Create shortcut (also right-click, drag)

  27. CTRL+DRAG . . . . . . . . . . . . . Copy File

  28. ESC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Cancel last function

  29. SHIFT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Press/hold SHIFT, insert CD-ROM to bypass auto-play

  30. SHIFT+DRAG . . . . . . . . . . . . Move file

  31. SHIFT+F10. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Opens context menu (same as right-click)

  32. SHIFT+DELETE . . . . . . . . . . . Full wipe delete (bypasses Recycle Bin)

  33. ALT+ underlined letter . . . . Opens the corresponding menu

    Document Cursor Controls

  34. HOME . . . . . . . . . . . . . . to beginning of line or far left of field or screen

  35. END . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . to end of line, or far right of field or screen

  36. CTRL+HOME . . . . . . . . to the top

  37. CTRL+END . . . . . . . . . . to the bottom

  38. PAGE UP . . . . . . . . . . . . moves document or dialog box up one page

  39. PAGE DOWN . . . . . . . . moves document or dialog down one page

  40. ARROW KEYS . . . . . . . move focus in documents, dialogs, etc.

  41. CTRL+ > . . . . . . . . . . . . next word

  42. CTRL+SHIFT+ > . . . . . . selects word

    SPECIAL CHARACTERS

  43. Alt 0145 . . . ‘ Opening single quote

  44. Alt 0146. . . . ‘ Closing single quote

  45. Alt 0147. . . “ Opening double quote

  46. Alt 0148. . . “ Closing double quote

  47. Alt 0150… – En dash

  48. Alt 0151… — Em dash

  49. Alt 0133… Ellipsis

  50. Alt 0149… • Bullet

  51. Alt 0174… ® Registration Mark

  52. Alt 0169… © Copyright

  53. Alt 0153… ™ Trademark

  54. Alt 0176… ° Degree symbol

  55. Alt 0162… ¢ Cent sig

  56. Alt 0188… 1⁄4

  57. Alt 0189… 1⁄2

  58. Alt 0190… 3⁄4

  59. Alt 0233… é

  60. Alt 0201… É

  61. Alt 0241… ñ

  62. Alt 0247… ÷

    FILE MENU OPTIONS IN A CURENT PROGRAM

  63. Alt + E… Edit options in current program

  64. F1… Universal help (for all programs)

  65. Ctrl + A… Select all text

  66. Ctrl + X… Cut selected item

  67. Shift + Del… Cut selected item

  68. Ctrl + C… Copy selected item

  69. Ctrl + Ins… Copy selected item

  70. Ctrl + V… Paste

  71. Shift + Ins… Paste

  72. Home… Go to beginning of current line

  73. Ctrl + Home… Go to beginning of document

  74. End… Go to end of current line

  75. Ctrl + End… Go to end of document

  76. Shift + Home… Highlight from current position to beginning of line

  77. Shift + End… Highlight from current position to end of line

  78. Ctrl + f… Move one word to the left at a time

  79. Ctrl + g… Move one word to the right at a time

    MICROSOFT WINDOWS SHORTCUT KEYS

  80. Alt + Tab… Switch between open applications

  81. Alt + Shift + Tab… Switch backwards between open applications

  82. Alt + Print Screen… Create screen shot for current program

  83. Ctrl + Alt + Del Reboot/Windows®… task manager

  84. Ctrl + Esc… Bring up start menu

  85. Alt + Esc… Switch between applications on taskbar

  86. F2.. Rename selected icon

  87. F3… Start find from desktop

  88. F4… Open the drive selection when browsing

  89. F5… Refresh contents

  90. Alt + F4… Close current open program

  91. Ctrl + F4… Close window in program

  92. Ctrl + Plus Key… Automatically adjust widths of all columns in Windows Explorer

  93. Alt + Enter… Open properties window of selected icon or program

  94. Shift + F10… Simulate right-click on selected item

  95. Shift + Del… Delete programs/files permanently

  96. Holding Shift During Bootup… Boot safe mode or bypass system files

  97. Holding Shift During Bootup when putting in an audio CD, will prevent CD Player from playing

    WINKEY SHORTCUTS

  98. WINKEY + D… Bring desktop to the top of other windows

  99. WINKEY + M… Minimize all windows

  100. WINKEY + SHIFT + M… Undo the minimize done by WINKEY + M and WINKEY + D

  101. WINKEY + E… Open File Explorer

  102. WINKEY + Tab… Cycle through open programs on taskbar

  103. WINKEY + F… Display the Windows® Search/Find feature

  104. WINKEY + CTRL + F… Display the search for computers window

  105. WINKEY + F1… Display the Microsoft® Windows® help

  106. WINKEY + R… Open the run window

  107. WINKEY + Pause /Break… Open the system properties window

  108. WINKEY + U… Open utility manager

  109. WINKEY + L… Lock the computer (Windows XP® & later)

    OUTLOOK SHORTCUT KEYS

  110. Alt + S… Send the email

  111. Ctrl + C… Copy selected text

  112. Ctrl + X… Cut selected text

  113. Ctrl + P… Open print dialog box

  114. Ctrl + K… Complete name/email typed in address bar

  115. Ctrl + B… Bold highlighted selection

  116. Ctrl + I… Italicize highlighted selection

  117. Ctrl + U… Underline highlighted selection

  118. Ctrl + R… Reply to an email

  119. Ctrl + F… Forward an email

  120. Ctrl + N… Create a new email

  121. Ctrl + Shift + A… Create a new appointment to your calendar

  122. Ctrl + Shift + O… Open the outbox

  123. Ctrl + Shift + I… Open the inbox

  124. Ctrl + Shift + K… Add a new task

  125. Ctrl + Shift + C… Create a new contact

  126. Ctrl + Shift+ J… Create a new journal entry

    WORD SHORTCUT KEYS

  127. Ctrl + A… Select all contents of the page

  128. Ctrl + B… Bold highlighted selection

  129. Ctrl + C… Copy selected text

  130. Ctrl + X… Cut selected text

  131. Ctrl + N… Open new/blank document

  132. Ctrl + O… Open options

  133. Ctrl + P… Open the print window

  134. Ctrl + F… Open find box

  135. Ctrl + I… Italicize highlighted selection

  136. Ctrl + K… Insert link

  137. Ctrl + U… Underline highlighted selection

  138. Ctrl + V… Paste

  139. Ctrl + Y… Redo the last action performed

  140. Ctrl + Z… Undo last action

  141. Ctrl + G… Find and replace options

  142. Ctrl + H… Find and replace options

  143. Ctrl + J… Justify paragraph alignment

  144. Ctrl + L… Align selected text or line to the left

  145. Ctrl + Q… Align selected paragraph to the left

  146. Ctrl + E… Align selected

Read More
Blogging, Article Writing, Magazine writing Alina Bradford Blogging, Article Writing, Magazine writing Alina Bradford

Punctuation You Should Know: Apostrophes, Colons, and Semicolons

Get your punctuation right with these tips.

I don’t know how many times an editor has told me, “Oh, I love editing your work. There’s not much to change!” A big part of this is that I know how and when to use punctuation. As a writer, you should, too. Here is how to write with some of the trickier punctuation.

Apostrophes

Ugg. From my close observation and research, this punctuation mark ranks among the most abused in the English language. Just check posters, billboards, and various ads in your neighborhood and you will see what I mean. Even though we encounter the use of the apostrophe in our daily lives, many people tend to mess it up. This punctuation mark serves only two purposes:

  • Show possession

The addition of an apostrophe at the end of a proper noun indicates the noun owns a particular object. Basically, we use an apostrophe to reduce the number of words in a particular piece of writing. For instance, we can say ‘Party of Peter.’ To make it nicer to the eyes and ear, we write 'Peter’s party’ by adding an apostrophe and an S to the noun.

Some words end with an S. No problem. In this case, you can put an apostrophe at the end of the word after the S. For example: "The classes' (multiple classes, so it's plural) book was very long." "Go pick up the cats' (multiple cats) toys."

  • Show omission of a word or letter

This punctuation mark can show that some letters and words have been omitted intentionally. Instead of writing, ‘I am’, for example, you can use this punctuation mark and the word will become ‘I’m.’ Pick ‘n’ mix is also the short form for ‘pick and mix.’ ’89 is the short form for 1989. It's is short for it is.

Colons

When you see two dots before a statement, the writer wants to say, ‘this is what I mean’. The colon as a punctuation mark has three primary uses which include:

  • Introducing a list of items

For example, "The bookstore specializes in four subjects: graphic design, architecture, art and crafts."

  • Punctuation between two independent clauses where the second clause illustrates or explains the first one

"He has little knowledge of the English language: he grew up in China."

  • Emphasis

We also use the colon to make a statement, word or phrase more powerful.

"Working 20 hours a week as a personal driver and taking care of all his family members: that was his dream job."

Semicolons

Most of us use colons and semicolons interchangeably which should not be the case. The following are some of the uses of a semicolon:

  • It join clauses that are independent but related

The words before the semicolon form a complete sentence or phrase while those after the semicolon also make sense as a sentence. The two statements will also share a logical connection.

"Mary went to the library; it’s open until 2."

“I hate salad; it gets stuck in my teeth.”

  • It's used in a serial list

When you want to list a number of things in one sentence, the semicolon comes in handy.

"I need accommodation rates for the following cities: London, Ontario; London England: Paris, Ontario; Paris; France."

 

Read More
Blogging, Article Writing, Magazine writing, Writing jobs, Writing Business Alina Bradford Blogging, Article Writing, Magazine writing, Writing jobs, Writing Business Alina Bradford

The Ultimate Guide to Finding Jobs as a Freelance Writer

Professional freelance writers are always blogging about these sweet gigs they're working on that pays $100 to $2,000 per article. Where the heck do you find these fantastic jobs everyone's talking about?

Professional freelance writers are always blogging about these sweet gigs they're working on that pays $100 to $2,000 per article. Where the heck do you find these fantastic jobs everyone's talking about?

After years, I have honed a way to find great paying gigs quickly. Here are my secrets.

how to find writing jobs .jpg

Hit Up Social Media

One of the easiest ways to find gig gems is to search social media. Often, businesses will post their need for a blogger, copywriter or ghostwriter on their pages. All you have to do is search for relevant hashtags.

Put these hashtags into a Facebook or Twitter search bar to find awesome gigs:

#bloggerswanted

#writerswanted

#copywriterwanted

#bloggerjob

#bloggingjobs

#writtingjobs

#publishingjobs

#journalismjobs

#freelancewriterwanted

#remotewriterwanted

#fbloggerswanted (Fashion bloggers wanted)

#healthbloggerswanted

Search Google the Smart Way

Searching for writing jobs on Google can bring up job posts from 2005 or jobs that are five states away and require on-site work. You can avoid all of the crappy job posts by searching smart.

how to get a writing job.jpeg

If you want to search a certain site, put site: in front of the site name, then add keywords in quotation marks. For example, I've had a lot of luck with this search:

site:craigslist.org "remote writer "

Some other sites other than craigslist you can try are:

  • site:problogger

  • site:freelancewritinggigs.com

Some other terms you can try are:

  • "content writing companies"

  • "freelance writing companies"

To get newer job posts, add the date:

site:craigslist.org "remote writer " November 15th 2020

Now the secret to finding high paying jobs: add the type of payment you're looking for.

site:craigslist.org "remote writer " December 15th 2020 pays $220

site:craigslist.org "remote writer " November 15th 2018 $50 per hour

site:craigslist.org "remote writer " November 15th 2018 .50 per word

Successful writer Jennifer Mattern recommends this combination:

writer and "compensation: * per article" site:craigslist.org (Replace the * with the monetary amount you want to be paid.)

If you want to search everywhere, just leave off the site and type in the rest of the search. This will bring up high-paying gigs from company job boards that most people never look at.

Use LinkedIn

how to find writing jobs on linkedin.jpg

Another great way to find jobs is by searching LinkedIn. No, I’m not talking about the job section. Here are the details to a special way to search:

  1. Go to the Home page

  2. In the search bar type “looking for writer” or “looking for freelance writer”

  3. When it takes you to the page, click on the All Filters option on the left side

  4. Choose Past Week

  5. Click Apply

Posts by companies and individuals looking for writers will pop up.

Get jobs delivered to your inbox

Now that you know the search criteria, set up Google alerts so you can get these great jobs delivered right to your inbox every day.

To set up a Google Alert follow these directions:

  1. Go to https://www.google.com/alerts

  2. Figure out what term you want alerts for (“writer wanted,” “food writer wanted,” “tech writer needed”)

  3. Type your search term into the box at the top of the screen

  4. Click on the "Show Options" dropdown menu

  5. Set it up to send you an email every day and to send you "all results"

  6. Click "Create Alert"

Sign Up to Get Daily Job News Letters

There are some great sites out there that scour the web for freelance writing jobs, then bundles them up into daily emails. I’ve rounded up a selection that provides links to gigs that pay well. Here are my favorite daily and weekly newsletters you need to sign up for:

Never stop searching

The key to finding gigs is volume. Apply for 20 solid gigs per week until you start bringing in the clients you need to pay the bills. Once you’ve got your clients, don’t stop. You’re never done searching when you’re a freelance writer. Simply trim your search down to 12 gigs a week. Remember, a dozen in play keeps the bills paid.

Start searching for clients that pay more to replace your current clients when the gigs end. Eventually, your name will get around and clients will search you out. That’s how you know you’ve made it to the big time. Even then, don’t stop searching. Just be super picky about who you take on as a client.

If you would like more great tips like these, order your copy of No-Fluff Freelance Writer Starter Pack today!

Read More