How to Proofread your Writing

It's not easy to proofread your own work. It's almost impossible, but here are a few tricks that will help you turn in error-free copy.

1) Change the font. Choose a different font than the one you originally used for your writing and your copy will appear differently to your eye and help you spot the mistakes.

2) Increase the size of the font and you will also get a new perspective on your writing and errors will be easier to see.

3) Check for mistakes like it's and its. Always read it's as "it is" and you will avoid using it's when you want the possessive.

4) Read your work aloud. This uses another part of the brain, and you may hear the mistake you could not see.

5) Everyone has built-in errors that we make over and over again. Maybe it's there and their or we tend to misspell certain words probably since childhood. Go over your work one time looking for those words to ensure you have them spelled correctly. Words like there and their don't show up in Spellcheck.

6) Do not use Spellcheck until you have read through your copy twice and used the methods in 1-4 above to hunt down mistakes.

No Can Do

I recently turned down some work because it was highly technical and I am highly "not" technical. I tend to be more Luddite than Dot Com, although I'm fierce with Social Media.

I hated to turn away a nice client and a pile (small) of money, but I knew from my initial reading of the job specs that although I could do the job, it would take me twice as long as someone skilled in technology, apps etc. I also would not feel comfortable writing about something I only knew a little bit about.

I know me and I know I'd over achieve. I'd study and research and spend a huge amount of time trying to grasp the technology even before I wrote the piece.

For the client and for me, it was not worth it. Learning to say, "No, I can't do this job" is one of the hardest things. However, in my experience you gain good will and respect from the client for admitting your weaknesses.

The Blank Page

Writers get the blank page.

They must travel through the vast world of letters and punctuation marks to create coherent prose that is able to be understood by both friends or foes.

Writers start with nothing but their own fertile minds and must plant the seeds of an article onto the page and watch them grow into mature, thoughtful copy.

Then these words are handed over to the editors whose job it is to improve the copy. This doesn't always work. If you have an editor who justifies his or her position by hacking and slashing at copy, things might get dicey indeed.

I've had some of the best editors known to man in my opinion, and I hate to say it, but some of the worst.

Very young, inexperienced editors may feel the need to wield power over the "lowly writer" when we all should know by know it is the writer with the power because the writer gets the blank page.

Best writing job ever: Trivia Questions

I used to have a client/friend who had a ton of connections in the business world and did a lot of radio advertising copy.

One of his specialties was coming up with trivia questions. Usually the questions would sync with the company's current ad campaign.

Sometimes questions would need to have a regional slant, and other times they were just sheer trivia questions.

When he had more work than he could handle, he'd pass the job off to me. It was wonderful and fun and easy to do and he paid me very well for this great opportunity.

I guess trivia questions are not as hot as they were 15 years ago when I did this type of work. Too bad.
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Here's a trivia question for you:


What is the name of the highest mountain in Africa?

Mount Kilimanjaro which is a dormant volcanic mountain located in Tanzania.

Writing product descriptions

Have you ever written product-description copy?

Believe it or not, it's one of my favorite forms of writing.

Since I buy mostly everything online, I've come to depend upon clear, concise, well-written copy --along with reviews, photos and specifications -- to make my selections. Great copy helps me to quickly scan different items and to zero in on the make or style of an item that I will most likely purchase.

When I write product descriptions, I like to match my tone with the manufacturer's tone. I try to be creative when the item lends itself to a creative approach but can be "just the facts ma'am" for products that have a more serious nature where fun or creativity would be out of place.

I write copy that tries to persuade you to buy the item, but it's based on real facts. I could never lie in a description but I might polish my prose a bit to get your interest.

When I'm shopping online, I keep that in mind.

Give up writing; become a gambler instead!

Of course this is tongue in cheek, but I am wondering if there might not be some truth to the statement also. A friend of mine who is a writer just scored an easy $50 buckaroos betting on a sports game.

To make $50 doing content writing, it takes a lot of time. If you're really good and have managed to find private clients plus belong to three or more word broker sites, you might make this much money in a day. Okay I might be exaggerating here.

As for gambling, most freelance writers do this on a daily basis. We take a chance that the client will like our work. Then we take a chance that the client will pay for our work.

In my next life I'd love to be a skip tracer...Internet research only, and then I'd be chasing the bad guys instead of the big bucks.

The Ebook is Finished

Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah -- in what seemed like a finger snap, the mountain of work I had to do for the ebook sifted down into a tidy little molehill, which is now completed with care and love. 

What I find interesting is that seconds after I sighed that big exhale of relief, I instantly got the "now what?" feeling.

If I don't have a queue of work assignments, I feel a bit lost. I am in this constant conflict of being eager to finish up a project yet eager to have a new one to begin waiting for me.

However, if no work comes in, I'll work on another one of my goals which is to write a screen play. 

I've written a novel...(not very good but completed with a beginning middle and end.)

I've written two one-act plays (I'll never know how good they were as I never saw them performed.)

So I figure, how hard can it be to write a screen play that may also not be very good? 

A snap I would think.

Three quarters of the way through the latest ebook

All anxiety about writing ebooks is gone. I'm only one chapter away from completion.

I might need an intro but that's nothing to worry about. I am becoming an expert on the ebook's subject which I won't share just in case the client decides to locate this almost hidden blog post.

One thing about ebooks is now that everyone can write and publish one, everyone is an author.

Of course, not everyone is a writer, but that does not stop a ton of authors from serving up their word soup as if it were worthy of the Nobel prize.

I read so many poorly written articles in a day, it's beginning to affect how I write.

There was a time when most of what you read was written well but now it's the opposite because professional writers are the first to be cut from a budget -- especially when Angie's girl Lavinia is really good with words or Jeff in shipping once published a poem in his high school literary magazine.

Write an eBook. Nothing to fear.

I see a huge call lately for short (less than 2000 words) ebooks that clients want to "give away" on their websites or give as a bonus on a purchase. At first I thought gahh, who wants to take on that chore. Then I took a look at some of the ebooks available and changed my mind.

Go ahead and take that ebook writing job. Don't stress about the word count and follow these helpful hints. (I hope you find them helpful, if not I'll direct you to my ebook on helpful hints to understand my blog posts. ;)

• Make a rough outline
• Find out the word count and then break it up into 300-400 word sections
• Give a flexible title or subhead to each section
• Treat each section like a simple blog post
• When finished, read your work in one sitting for compatibility 
• Check for compatibility on point of view ex: first, second or third person 
• Look for duplicate copy
• Spell check
• Collect your fee for your very nice ebook

Errors, errors, and more errors

It was not that long ago that my husband pointed out a huge error in a caption on the front page of the New York Times. I was crestfallen. I had always thought of the Times as producing impeccable copy --and more often than not --excellent writing and reporting.

Anyone can make a mistake, but the New York Times has a long illustrious history of very, very few typos or misspellings in their publications.

Perhaps the Times is just echoing and mirroring what I seem to see everywhere, which is either a general misunderstanding of the meaning of a word or a lack of interest in checking to ensure the word is spelled correctly.

I've probably made 25 errors so far in this blog, but I'm not the Times. When I write for others, I spend a lot more time proofreading my work compared to this blog that is being written with a cup of coffee by my side.

I don't get excited if I make a mistake here, but when the Times gets lackadaisical about spelling I do get worried.

Wealthy Johns and Brain-Damaged Sex Workers

I know better. I've been burned a few times, especially from a particular word-brokering, middleman site that treats clients like wealthy Johns and writers like brain-damaged sex workers.

I started to write a blog post on one subject and poof the client cancelled the order and my 1/2 blog of writing now has no home. I should have waited for 8 hours to ensure the client was not going to change his or her mind.

Clients often start off one way and end up another.

They can start off picky and grouchy and end up being a wonderful source of income and fun to work with. They can also start off like your best friend and something happens (which is a secret) and they turn into Simon Legree.

My advice to you is don't take anything crabby clients say to heart and don't take any guff either.

I don't bow and scrape for clients, but I do try to give them clear, concise web content, on time, in a creative style, with unique word choices and plenty of SEO words but not so many the piece looks like a computer generated ad.

I love providing a client with the best copy around and take pride in my work. So anyone want to buy a half written blog post? LOL

How I lost that pharmacy account

I actually found one job on another blog of mine. I think I had a headline like Pen for Hire. Quaint. Pens don't do much now except endorse checks, and half the time PayPal takes care of most money transactions.

Still I like to think of writing as a craft.

I am sure I would have enjoyed the days of fountain pens and silky sheets of white paper, and I bring that sensitivity to my work. I don't crank out crap.

Online writing?

Well everyone can do it now. That's what the many people think unfortunately.

You can go to a website that is selling a great product or service and read vacuous drivel. You'll find typos sprinkled on pages like they were sentence seasonings. Or you'll find egregious grammar errors that are the equivalent of fingernails on a chalkboard.

What you need is crisp, original copy that people want to read. It has to be easy to read, fun to read and clearly supports your product or service.

It must be priced right. That's what I did wrong with the online pharmacy job. I didn't price my job right. I asked for too much. I wish they would have negotiated with me as I would have definitely lowered my fee.

A lesson learned for both sides, client and writer - negotiate payment so both sides are happy.

Online content writing; off line writing and on and off writing. I write clear but creative product descriptions, engaging blog posts and so much more.

I first started blogging in 2003.

I was so naive I thought that the words I wrote down in cyberspace floated around in the ether until they turned into cosmic dust.

I put in about ten patchy years blogging but never had a schtick or an angle nor have I figured out how to create a snazzy website. I've changed a lot in ten years but not that much.

I named this blog Lead and Feathers. Lead is for the postings that are more serious in nature and feathers for those thoughts that are ephemeral and even whimsical.

My purpose for Lead and Feathers is to get myself some work.

(Hear that? Don't go through word brokers or middlemen to get a writer. I and a slew of competent professionals are available at great rates without paying that middle layer of nonsense.)

I am a very good writer, idea person and super creative. The best part of me is that I can think and that I work hard. The pen is mightier than the sword and online content needs to reflect the power of the pen.