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Confession of an Author and Freelance Writer Addicted to That

July 23, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Confess

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Question: What if you’re an author and freelance writer addicted to a particular word? I have a confession: I can’t stop using “that” in my writing. I dream about that all of the time. I think about how many times I can use that. Finally, I see that in magazines, newspapers, marketing materials, books, and eBooks. I can’t get that out of mind. Help!

Answer: The first step is admitting you have a problem with that. Second, realize you’re not alone. Many freelance writers, authors, and bloggers are obsessed with that. Finally, there are other words you can use besides that.

Many writers have overused words at one point in their writing careers. For example, some travel writers will confess to overusing typical travel words such as azure, breathtaking, cramped, enchanted, enchanting, magical, and other words to describe the places they’ve visited; hotels and hostels they’ve stayed in. The good news is you can overcome an addiction to a certain word as long as you know and pay attention the word(s) you overuse. Keep writing references nearby such as dictionary, encyclopedia, thesaurus, AP or Chicago Manual of Style, and others. You’ll be able to find another word in place of that.

The next time you sit down to write be aware of your tendency to use that. When you feel the urge to type that, resist it. Walk away from the laptop or iPad. Don’t give that power over you; otherwise it will tighten its grip. If you don’t find the strength to use another word, you’ll be doomed to use that in your writing forever. Clients and editors will be disgusted by that and won’t read your writing. You don’t want that — do you?

Rebecca

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Filed Under: Authors, Freelance Writers, Freelance Writing, Overcoming Obstacles, Publishing, Tips and Tricks, Travel Writing Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , ,

27 Words and Phrases That Have Worn Out Their Welcome

July 8, 2011 By Leave a Comment
what are word for?

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Sometimes freelance, fiction, ghost, travel, and non-fiction writers use certain words and phrases that have worn out their welcome. Writers, you are creative people and can certainly think of new words and phrases to use. Unless a client specifically says, “Use the following words and phrases,” grab the thesaurus and spice up your writing. It’s time to toss out the same old, same old, and bring in the new.

27 Words and Phrases That Have Worn Out Their Welcome

1. Awesome! Some people from the 1980s may not be ready to use a ‘new’ word but ‘Awesome’ is getting a bit old.

2. Azure. Travel writers love to use this word to describe a body of water. Believe it or not, there are other words to describe water. FYI: Turquoise is also overused. How about an indigo sea you can see for miles? Put your creativity hat on and leave ‘azure’ alone for a while.

3. “Think outside of the box.” I can hear everyone from the 1990s saying, “What? You don’t want us to think outside the box?” Sales and marketing and motivational gurus love to use this phrase. How about saying, Get out of your comfort zone and try something new,” or something like that.

4. Lol! I must admit that I overuse use this. I hardly use ‘LMAO‘ but need to back off of Lol!

5. Literally. This brings back memories of Janeane Garolfalo guest appearance in an episode of The King of Queens. She used this word over and over which drove Carrie Heffernan aka Leah Remini nuts.

6. Seriously. See above.

7. Enchanted. This is another favorite word of travel writers. Believe it not, some castles are not enchanted. Some of them may be haunted (overused as well), but you can think of another word to describe a castle, B&B, or region of a country.

8. “We’re leading the world.” Are you truly leading the world? If you are leading the world, show people how you’re leading the world and what you’re leading the world in.

9. Really. See literally and seriously.

10. Go for it! I too have overused this word. It’s motivating, but you can use another phrase to motivate people.

11. “He/she is a spiritual person.” Can you elaborate on the word spiritual? What does this mean? How is a person spiritual?

12. Beautiful. I know U2′s hit song, “Beautiful Day” is catchy, but the word beautiful is overused and boring. Why not use gorgeous, stunning, or vibrant?

13. So. I’ve overused the word so and could probably go back and rewrite sentences on my blog posts, but they’re already in cyberspace. So what is the point of changing them? Just kidding!

14. Great. Yep! I’ve overused this word. It’s time to give it a rest.

15. Good. It’s good to break out of your writing comfort zone and use another word.

16. Nice. See above.

17. Very. I’m not sure about this word. Sometimes it’s better to say ‘very’ instead of using a One Dollar Word. It’s your call.

Don’t use words too big for the subject. Don’t say “infinitely” when you mean “very”; otherwise you’ll have no word left when you want to talk about something really infinite. C. S. Lewis

18. Pretty. See beautiful.

19. “The sky’s limit.” I believe the universe is vast, and don’t agree with the phrase the sky’s the limit.

20. That. This is another tough one. Sometimes you need to use ‘that’ in a sentence. Of course, you could always rewrite sentences to eliminate that overused word.

21. Love/hate. How many relationship articles have you read with love/hate sprinkled throughout them? Did you write those articles? You may want to use another expression.

22. Whatever! I love this phrase but admit it’s overstayed its welcome. Whatever!

23. Bitch! This was never one of my favorite words for obvious reasons. I believe it’s time to give it a rest and for women to respect each other (men to).

24. Gay. Decades ago ‘gay’ was used to convey a sense of happiness. Today, it means something else and is sometimes used in a derogatory tone. Watch how you use this one or don’t use it at all.

25. Viral. Marketing gurus love this one, but it burned out in a short amount of time.

26. “Aha Moment.” Oprah fans won’t be happy about this one, but having an ‘Aha Moment’ is getting old and stale. How about an epiphany instead? How about being enlightened? On second thought, enlightened is overused.

27. “I’m Just Sayin’.” These are some of the most overused words and phrases found in writing. Push yourself as a writer and avoid using these words whenever possible. If you’re stuck, take a break and rest your mind. Go and “live life to the fullest” to be all the writer you can be!

Rebecca

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2011 Screenwriting Conferences

April 6, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Best Screenplay Award (Cannes Film Festival)

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If you’re an aspiring screenwriter, attending a conference is a fantastic way to meet other screenwriters and unearth valuable tips and tricks about writing a screenplay. Conferences usually have industry experts such as producers, directors, and other executives. It’s an opportunity to ‘pick the brain’ of these influential people in order for you to write the best screenplay you can write.

2011 Screenwriting Conferences

The Screenwriting Conference in Santa Fe — Sponsored by Rio Grande Studios. Who doesn’t want to go to Santa Fe, New Mexico? It’s a beautiful state and a travel writer’s paradise.  The conference is from May 27 – 31 and is divided into the Screenwriting Symposium and The Hollywood Connection.

Toronto Screenwriting Conference. This one takes places from April 9 – 10. Toronto is a cosmopolitan city that offers a great nightlife. If you’re interested in travel writing, you’ll have a lot to write about.

13th Annual Nashville Screenwriters Conference. If you love country music, screenwriting, and travel writing, you’ll want to attend Nashville’s Screenwriters Conference on May 20 – 22 at the Union Station Hotel. You’ll meet Hollywood’s top producers, writers, directors, managers, and other studio executives. I can tell you from experience that Nashville is a vibrant city. Don’t leave there without visiting Music Row and The Grand Ole Opry!

American Screenwriters’ Conference with Dr.Lew Hunter. Visit beautiful California and Crocker Art Museum on April 16th. “Learn screenwriting tips from some of the best: UCLA Dean Emeritus Dr. Lew Hunter and William Morris agent Christopher Lockhart. Additional panel members TBA.”

If you’re serious about screenwriting, consider attending one of these conferences. Take advantage of panel discussions and any ‘meet and greets’ that are offered. The more connections you have the better. If you’re looking to collaborate with another screenwriter, chances are you can find the ‘right’ person to work with at one of these conferences. If you’re an aspiring screenwriter and travel writer, you’ll benefit from these conferences because they’re held in beautiful locations in the U.S. and around the world. Think of all the travel articles you could write. Good luck!

Rebecca

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Freelance Writers Can Learn from the Soap Opera One Life to Live

March 18, 2011 By 2 Comments
Jessica Buchanan

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You may think that you can’t learn from watching TV, especially soap operas, but you can. Since I’m interested in writing for TV and films, I watch television programs and movies. I’m enjoying One Life to Live which can be watched at your convenience at ABC.com. The writing is hilarious when it comes to the Jessica/Tess Buchanan Brennan storyline. Jessica suffers from multiple personalities (this isn’t funny) and one of her alter egos is Tess, a fast talking, party type of gal who’s extremely different from Jessica. Jessica/Tess is played brilliantly by Bree Williamson who delivers the lines with gusto. As an actress, she’s very lucky that the writing is spot on! I’m quite certain she’ll receive an Emmy nomination and win for her performance. One Life to Live draws viewers each week because the writing is very good. Therefore, freelance writers’ can learn a few pointers from this long-time fan favorite soap opera.

Writing for television is different from writing blogs, articles, fiction, and non-fiction. However, the commonality is writing. Your writing will fall flat if it doesn’t resonate with your target audience. If you’re interested in becoming a #1 Freelance Writer or #1 Ghost Writer, your writing must impact business owners and readers. What emotions will be felt? What message are you trying to get across? What will make them want to pick up the phone and call you to be their freelance writer? It’s important to be mindful of the style, tone, and voice of your writing.

All business owners and publishers are not the same. Some may look for humor in your writing while another will require a more serious tone. It depends on the target audience. Please remember that! Not every client will want a funny blog post or article. For example, your client could be a medical doctor specializing in cancer research. The tone of your blogs and articles will be professional and to the point with an undercurrent of compassion. Freelance writers remember that all target markets are not the same.

If you want to stretch yourself as a freelance writer, watch TV shows and movies. Pay attention to character development and dialogue. Think of your blogs, articles, brochures, bios, newsletters, and other writings as characters. How will you develop them? What can you do to make them come to life? How can you get the ‘target audience’ to feel emotion? How can you write effortlessly and make the words flow and leap across the page? Ponder these and other questions while you watch television shows and movies. You’ll be surprise how your writing improves. Who says watching TV can’t be educational?

Rebecca

P.S.

Did you know that soap opera actresses and actors shoot 100 pages or more per day? This is why James Franco, who guest starred on General Hospital, stretched himself as an actor. Of course, it probably helped his writing (he published a book) and schooling as well.

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The Bottom Line with Rebecca: Agents, CPAs, Managers

March 4, 2011 By Leave a Comment

I thank God for my business degrees and parents who stressed the importance of education and educating yourself. The only reason I have two accounting degrees is because of my father who told me to get a degree that would lead to a ‘secure’ job. Accounting wasn’t my calling but after watching Oprah’s show with Iyanla Vanzant, I’m glad I have my accounting degrees. I furthered my education by obtaining a Master of Science in Management. I’m totally thankful for my business degrees!

Here’s the ‘scoop’ on Iyanla Vanzant: She was a regular ‘relationship expert’ on Oprah’s show 11 years ago; she’s also an author. Iyanla was approached by Barbara Walters and was presented with the opportunity to do her own show. She called a meeting with Oprah and told her that someone ‘big’ was interested in doing a show with her. Iyanla was released from appearing on Oprah’s show. She learned some tough lessons which she recently shared with Oprah’s audience. The show was a teachable lesson for authors, writers, speakers, and anyone in the entertainment business. If you aren’t business savvy, you could lose millions like Iyanla. If you’re holding onto old beliefs about money and or self-worth, you could lose millions. If you still have issues from your childhood, you could lose millions. Before you launch your book, clear up any issues you may have!

Agents

If you hire a literary or talent agent, make sure you thoroughly check them out. Authors use literary agents and actors use talent agents. If the agent is apart of the agency, check out the agency. Don’t sign a contract without a lawyer because if you don’t understand contract law, you could lose millions within seconds.

Hire a copyright and or intellectual lawyer. If you’re writing a screenplay, consider hiring an entertainment lawyer. Whatever you do, make sure you hire a lawyer that will work for you. If you receive a ‘gut’ instinct that the person could be shady, run out of the office!

Ask the following questions:

    How long have you been in practice?
    How many clients do you have?
    Have you been sued?
    Where did you get your law degree?
    Did you pass the bar the first time?
    What is your fee?
    How many years have you’ve been practicing?
    References?

CPAs

Make sure you hire a CPA that understands the entertainment business. Your tax return will be totally different from someone who’s filing a 1040 tax form based on a W-2 (job). It’s in your best interest to pay quarterly taxes. Your CPA will be able to advise you on how to handle taxes and finances, i.e., bank accounts, trust funds, etc…However; you’ll want to consult a financial advisor. If you’re unfamiliar with stocks, bonds, and other investments, it’s in your best interest to take a couple of classes at your local college to familiarize yourself with the terminology. If you solely rely on a financial advisor, you could be taken for a ride that you didn’t expect. It’s not that you don’t want to trust anyone; you want to be smart about your money. You should know what you have. This is a major mistake that most people no matter if they’re a successful author/speaker or graphic designer.

Ask the following questions:

    Where did you go to school?
    Is your license up-to-date?
    Are you keeping up with your education?
    How familiar are you with the entertainment business?
    How long have you been practicing?
    How much is your fee?
    Have you been sued?

Managers

It’s imperative to hire a manager that knows what he/she is doing. Please don’t hire someone because they’re your sister’s best friend! Working with friends and relatives may not be in your best interest. Again, check people out. How authentic does the person seem? What is your ‘gut’ reaction?

When you meet with a publisher or media company, do not sign your name on the bottom line until you’ve had a lawyer look at the contract. I’ll never forget watching ‘Left Eye’ from the popular Hip Hop group TLC on VH1′s Behind the Music. She informed everyone how the band lost millions of dollars. How did it happen? It was all in the contract!! You don’t have to get a business or law degree, but educate yourself before you sign that publishing, music, speaking, or movie contract. It will save you heartache, time, and money!

Rebecca

How educated are you within the business/financial world? Do you know how much money you have? Are the people surrounding your trustworthy? Share.

Filed Under: Freelance Writers, Overcoming Obstacles, Publishing, Screenwriting, The Bottom Line with Rebecca, Tips and Tricks Tagged With: , , , , , , ,
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