I’m in Love…

I’ve just invested in one of these things: an Alphasmart.

I’ve got a nice, shiny new laptop and about half a dozen PCs in various flavours knocking around here. So why do I need something which is little more than a keyboard, with all the processing power of a calculator?

And why do I love it so much? Why do I wish I could do all my work on the Alphasmart?

It’s because the Alphasmart reminds me of when, as a kid, I’d pound away at the typewriter and actually get stuff done. Without feeling obliged to respond to emails the second I get them. Or being distracted by instant messages. Or – every writer’s favourite – feeling the need to do just a little bit more research before starting to write.

Working on the Alphasmart takes that all away. All that’s left is man, keyboard and enough screen so that man can see the line he’s working on, but no more.

I find it a huge boon to my productivity. Because I can’t see where I’ve been (at least not without lots of backspacing and getting lost), I’m forced to concentrate on where I’m going.  Working like this, the first draft comes quickly and easily.

OK, it’s often a bit shabby, but it’s there dammit! Having a first draft – no matter how rough – always makes me feel like I’m in control.

And then, after some fiddling with leads and buttons, I can upload it into Word and start knocking it into shape.

Mine came cheap – about $50 on Ebay, but it’s an old model. The new models, Neo and Dana have all sorts of extra features, like word counts.

But all that would just distract me. I love the simplicity. And I love the fact that I can whizz off to Starbucks with a couple of spare AA batteries just in case and concentrate on writing, instead of spending 20 minutes trying to connect to their wireless network.

I get a few funny looks but hey – that’s something I’m used to.

And I don’t care. I’m in love with my Alphasmart.

Why All Good Writers Should Read Mills & Boon Novels

Like most writers, I love to read.

I read widely and honestly believe that everything I read helps me become a better writer. As Stephen King says in his wonderful book On Writing (paraphrasing): those who do not read don’t have the necessary tools or equipment to write.

Good writing depends on your ability to adopt the right ‘voice’ for a particular audience. If you read widely, you’ll start to assimilate different authors’ styles.

I believe these stay with you even once the content of the book itself is forgotten. And, like a character actor, when a piece of writing requires a particular ‘voice’, you’ll be able to rummage around your repertoire and pull out the one that’s needed.

So – if you want to become a better writer, become a better reader.

Read anything and everything. Don’t let a brochure or piece of junk mail pass you by without analysing it and deciding how you would have approached it. But also dive into business, sci-fi, theology, self-development … anything that takes your fancy.

Don’t be unwilling to try something new. You needn’t let the fellas at the gym know you’re reading Chick Lit. And just because you’re an atheist, it doesn’t mean that you can’t benefit from dipping into the Bible now and again.

Only by reading will you come to appreciate – and love – the rhythm and cadence of words. It will make you a better writer, too.

If you’re a freelance writer, your livelihood depends on words. So make sure you’re not short of them.

Say No To SEO Work

As a freelance writer for hire, there are two things you need to know about SEO.The first is that just about everything you ever read about SEO is now absolute garbage.

In fact, it probably always was.

A lot of people made an awful lot of money by claiming to second-guess the search engines. They mangled their clients’ site copy, eschewing readability in favour of dropping in as many ‘keywords’ in as possible, hoping to get better rankings.

The trouble with this approach was that punters were soon able to spot an SEO site a mile off. The search engines soon got wise to it and changed their algorithms too, leaving millions of web pages with virtually unreadable copy gathering virtual dust.

And lots of SEO ‘gurus’ refusing to answer their phones.

The second thing you need to know is that there is still an awful lot of work out there on Elance, Rentacoder, etc for ‘optimized’ web site content. And that can be a problematic diversion for some freelance writers, especially when they are first starting out.

You see, although there’s lots of work out there, you’re going to be competing with people who can’t write to get it. Some of these people will happily get paid $3-$5 per article. You won’t even get a decent sample to add to your portfolio, because any article that is written purely with the search engines in mind isn’t worth reading.

But all this is great news for writers.

Why?

Well, because although the SEO people were always telling us ‘content is king’, now it really is.

Because site owners are gradually beginning to understand that the only way to attract visitors to their site is to offer them something of value. Something that is interesting, useful and reads like it was written by a writer, instead of a damn machine.

And that, my friend, is why there’s going to be a lot more work around for the likes of you and I than ever before.

So instead of refusing some SEO writing work for lousy pay (and certainly instead of accepting it), why not try and educate your prospective client instead?

Tell him that he needs great content for great results. And that you’re just the person to give that to him.