Freelance Writing Links

As an end of the year "gesture of love," this website lists some of their best links for freelance writers.

Just my casual observation that probably means nothing: Many, many of the freelance writing websites I've found on the internet are actually marketing schemes dressed up as "help websites" for writers when, in fact, they are only seeking to make some kind of money off of writers.

Making money is not a sin. What these websites are doing is not illegal. It's smart. They are using the desire of writers to make a living with their words to make a living for themselves. That's not against the law. But, writing consumer, be forewarned about the smooth operators who promise you entry into the writing working world when all they really care about is selling you whatever product it is they are selling.

There is one "circle jerk" operation that I've discovered much like the graphics and clipart circle jerk operations: You think you've landed on a productive website and wow, just look at all those links to "other" websites but when you click on them, you just get yet another page of links and ALL of them use a similiar webpage template, language, articles, etc. almost as if one person created them all, linked them up, and there you go...

So, be a smart web traveller. Some of the articles on these so-called freelance writing websites are actually worth reading. Just be aware of the cyber-waters you are navigating.

Press Release Writing

This website is mainly seeking to market its press release writing services or a book on how to write press releases. Meanwhile, they do actually offer some good tips (when you get to the webpage, find the advice and tips navigation in the left column). Here's one sample tip:

There are seven basic elements that every press release should have in terms of content and how it appears:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: These words should appear in the upper left-hand margin, just under your letterhead. You should capitalize every letter.

Contact Information: Skip a line or two after release statement and list the name, title, telephone and fax numbers of your company spokesperson (the person with the most information). It is important to give your home number since reporters often work on deadlines and may not be available until after hours.

Headline: Skip two lines after your Contact information and use a boldface type.

Dateline: This should be the city your press release is issued from and the date you are mailing your release.

Lead Paragraph: The first paragraph needs to grasp the reader's attention and should contain the relevant information to your message such as the five W's (who, what, when, where, why).

Text: The main body of your press release where your message should fully develop.

Recap: At the lower left hand corner of your last page restate your product's specifications, highlight a product release date.

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