Being a freelance writer online is challenging. The biggest hurdles are copyrights and finding paying markets. Of course, that's subject to change depending on what I'm working on at the time.

If you are a self publisher you will know all about fair use and copyrights. You've carefully borrowed content. You've asked almost everyone you know for a contribution to your ezine or newsletter. You've left them notes on their car window when they keep forgetting you finally hounded them into saying yes, a month ago. Or is that just me? Luckily there are several sites which distribute free content. But, you have to find the content you need from the general stream of articles offered. Often it's all content you've run before, sometimes said in a new way or by another writer but still the same information.

Yes, ezine publishers can write all the content themselves, put up the site, create the graphics, the layout and all the little odds and ends. It is a lot to maintain and create a whole site though. If you have a life you can decide which pieces to discard such as pets, parents, jobs and kids. Friends might understand and give you some slack. Really, it's much better to find help, free up some of your time and keep having a life.

There are endless free places a writer can be published and I don't knock those, too much. A new writer can be published in some really good places and get their name seen in the markets they want to specialize in. But, at some point even the most timid new writer wants to see a cheque in the mail.

Also, make sure you are getting something out of the freebie work you do. Don't give your work away to a site that publishes poorly edited work. If you want this as a writing credit make sure it really is a credit to you.

Most of all, don't pay a site or publication to run your content. Never, for any reason. They are not doing you a favour.

I applied (last night) to write for Suite101 again. I used to write a couple of topics there and copyedit a section of other writers and I headed up the Writers Community section for a short time. I left due to a lot of changes on the site, mainly how they placed the Google ads. They let Google ads take over the content. You had to scroll down just to find the written content under the ads. That wasn't good for their site or the writers, I'm not surprised they changed the layout. They also changed a lot of the look of the sites and pages, even the colours.

Anyway, I applied to write two topics: Webmaster Resources and Resources for Writers.

They pay a little, very little. But, I want to get back to writing weekly again. I wrote a lot more when I had a weekly schedule to stick to. Funny how you tend to get more done when you are really too busy. Then, when you have time you putter around and get very little done.

Meter is one of those words with several meanings. It's a measurement of size, though we spell it metre in Canada. It's a device like a parking meter, measuring time. It's also measurement of rhythm and pace.

According to my Funk Wagnalls dictionary, a meter is:

"A measured rhythm constituting one of the chief characteristics of verse."

Meter isn't just for poetry. There is some form of poetry in our fiction and nonfiction writing. The words you choose, how you arrange them and how they sound when they come together, are all part of writing something people will want to read more of. Think about it.

Recently in the BackWash message boards PussNBoots, one of the Adult columnist's said:

"Every writer searches for their own 'voice'. The best way to find it is to write. Also, pay attention to the voices of writers you admire. Read their work out loud to hear the rhythm and meter. Listen to why they chose particular words."

I thought that was brilliant. Reading your work out loud is the best way to check it's meter, the rhythm of your words. That doesn't mean you need to make your writing longer or chop it down, just choose different words or arrange them differently. See how your words flow, does the rhythm change or get monotonous? Is it dramatic and fast paced when you write about action? Or are the sentences you use kind of long and clunky? Do you tend to start sentences with the same pattern or rhythm? Vary your sentence structure.

"Tom went to the market, at Guildwood, everyday" Could be "Everyday, Tom would go to Guildwood's market." Not great examples but you get the idea, I hope.

I'm still wandering around on the planet's surface. (Poor Pluto). I decided to keep my blog back on Blogger. The new beta is looking very interesting.

All this time since LiveJournal became part of Movable Type and you still can't make an HTML link without typing it in. What's wrong with them? People using LJ are not HTML geeks, most of them won't know the code to add a link without copying it from somewhere else. Even I have to check cause it's been so long since I actually typed it in myself.

Last night I went on a spending spree at Chapters, the mega bookstore in this area. I went in for The Writers magazine and came out many dollars lighter. (Debit cards are a blessing and a curse). I bought a new thesaurus which I already love and A Writer's Book of Days which I'm building up into love for. Judy Reeves wrote it and I'll look her up online later.

Anyway, there is so much encouragement, inspiration and creativity in this book for writers. I highly recommend you find it at your local bookstore.

I've paraphrased and added my thoughts to one of her articles. This is one of her essays which caused me to buy the book.

Honour Yourself as a Writer

Name yourself a writer. Give your writing preference over your day job, affirm the place it holds in your life. Tell them you're a freelance writer when someone asks what you do. Let yourself be proud to be a writer, whether you're raking in the bucks from writing or not. Don't put your writing in second place, like a hobby you might mention if someone asks. Honour yourself as a writer, just like Judy Reeves says!

Make a place for your writing, furnish it with materials that support you and your writing. Keep the space sacred and go there joyfully. I especially like this idea from her book. Make yourself a writing alter, take notes from the Pagans on making an alter. But, whatever you do make the space where you write special, meaningful, uniquely you.

Get the equipment and accoutrements you need. Do you really let yourself spend a enough on what you need to write? Don't over spend but let yourself have what you need to write well. Don't give it hobby status if you don't want to keep writing as a hobby.

Make time for studying and practicing your craft: attend writing groups, workshops, writer's conferences, classes and lectures. If you're too busy to go far try a few writing email lists. See which one works for you and then become a regular (don't just lurk).

Schedule time with other writers. Find someone else who writes and plan time together to talk about writing and have some fun. Don't let yourself become too isolated from others who write and think about writing.

Read your writing to others. Say it aloud to those who can appreciate it. Read it at writing meetings, family gatherings and no occasion at all.

Transfer your writing from your notebook to the computer and print it out. Everything looks more professional in print. Save your writing in printed format and keep it all organized in files. There is no reason you can't even make up a zine yourself. Just add a little desktop publishing and you can create your own literary publication, starring you.

Submit material for publication. In spite of yourself and your fears respect your work in producing the writing and the writing itself and submit it for publications. Give yourself a chance, it only costs a stamp, some paper and the time to research your markets.

Celebrate when you've completed a work or hit a significant marker. Take a road trip, make a fancy coffee, get a manicure, soak in the tub, call a friend, buy that new thesaurus you wanted, whatever makes a celebration to you. You deserve it.

Accept compliments gracefully. Don't become your own worst critic when someone says your writing touched them, was a great read or made them think. Instead say thanks and give them more to read, point them to your website, the latest publication to buy your work, whatever you have to offer. Instead of denying your work, promote it.