My Love-Hate Relationship with Scrivener

I got Scrivener in 2020 when the lockdown was first in effect and was surprised/happy about the reasonable price. Many of my favorite writers raved about this program, so I had to try it.

While I love how I can organize and move chapters around easily without much scrolling, I hate a few things even more, which are huge time-wasters in my writing career:

1. I can't make the screen bigger without making the font bigger like you can in, say, an Internet browser when you increase the screen print size.
   
   
2. I can't do a search. At least I could never get it to work, so trying to find one magazine market in a sea of several hundred market names was not possible.
   
   
3. When I compiled it into a Word document so I could do final proofreading, Scrivener randomly smooshed words together and randomly messed up the formatting, which wasted a lot of time. So my text might look like this:

The Pomodoro Technique: Focus for ADHD Writers

I'm reading The Art and Business of Writing by Chris Jones on my Kindle and it's full of helpful advice. I'll review it in a later post. For now, please take this gem I got in there (then, interestingly enough, I also found the same gem the next day in a speed-reading ebook I was proofreading on Fiverr, which tells me the Universe wants me to try it).

Basically in the mornings, I put my butt in my seat after getting my coffee and something to eat. Focusing after that is hard. I want to check email, Facebook, my ebook sales, Fiverr, blog stats, do some blog social media, and more. Back and forth and then I've wasted an hour! That is no way to make your dreams come true of moving to the country, traveling the world with your family, and writing a bunch more books! 

Write Timely Articles Parenting Magazine Editors Want to Purchase

As parenting magazine writers, we all need ideas for articles to write about all year long.

Do you feel like you have written everything you have to say on the topic of birthday parties or camp or holidays?

Need some inspiration because your brain has run dry?

Check out this site. Turns out there are not only those obvious and popular things we knew about like Valentine's Day in February, but also things that should be on our radar like Black History Month ... and did you know that February 20 is Love Your Pet Day? 

What a great time to whip out that piece about whether or not your kid should get a pet. Or maybe you sold it in December about getting a pet for Christmas and it just needs a little tweak and a re-send.

Write for Highlights for Children Magazine

We do not accept work through Submittable (or through e-mail) from writers younger than 16. 

Young writers and artists may send their work to: Highlights for Children, 803 Church Street, Honesdale, PA 18431

. 

Highlights is a general-interest magazine for children ages 6-12. By publishing stories, puzzles, articles, and activities that are fun and engaging, we aim to inspire kids to be their best selves–creative, curious, caring, and confident. Highlights was founded in 1946 by Dr. Garry Cleveland Myers and Caroline Clark Myers, and is still owned and run by their family. The magazine accepts no outside advertising and has no religious or organizational affiliation. Highlights has a circulation of about a million and is published monthly.

8 Steps to Make Over $500 for a Regional Parenting Magazine Reprint

Let me start by saying not EVERY article I write makes this much money. I've written and submitted over 100 parenting magazine articles. Some have sold a total of a few hundred dollars. But today I want to share with you the 

ARTICLE ROCK STARS

I'm sharing this not to say, "Woo hoo, I am awesome and check out how much money I make doing this." Instead, I'm sharing to say, "Wow, I didn't realize that it all added up like this! I mean, I knew my Christmas Peace piece did pretty great, but it might hit over $1,000 in total sales if I tweak it a bit! This can happen for other writers as well, and there seems to be plenty of room for all of us to make money writing from home!"

Proofreading Jobs from Home: 20 Ideas + Income Potential

I have met many writers and published parents who are also passionate about editing and proofreading, so this post is for you! I work primarily on Fiverr.com, and I have received almost 3,000 positive reviews since I started in 2013. 

Benefits for me include:

* Being able to work from home and homeschool! 

* Being able to pick up and travel with my family and make money while we're away from the house. 

* Being my own boss.

* Not working in a cubicle anymore.

If you want to join Fiverr just to check it out and possibly sign up to do your own proofreading jobs from home, please use my referral code!

Here's what I have come up with so you can also enjoy this kind of lifestyle. The first two services I am not familiar with because I just haven't had the time to dive into them. They are reputable sites that ask for a proofreading test or sample, but I hear competition can be fierce, and I'm not about underbidding my services!

How to Get Started as a Proofreader

So you want to be a proofreader? It's a rewarding job that you can do from anywhere in the world! I have worked on Fiverr for 10 years, including while homeschooling my kids, while traveling with my husband for his job, watching my son at basketball practice, teaching at the homeschool co-op, on my back deck on gorgeous summer mornings, and so much more! 

To start proofreading on Fiverr, simply sign up. Then follow these steps and tips, and you'll soon find yourself with a successful work-from-anywhere business! 

1. Do some research and recon work — Start out with the main Writing & Translation section, then dive into the Proofreading section to find out how others are working their gigs. Some questions to keep in mind are:

How many words are others proofreading for $5? (Don't forget that Fiverr takes 20%, but consider: Fiverr is attracting the clients for you, handling the payments securely, and providing a platform for showcasing your work and glowing reviews.)

How fast is the turnaround? How quickly can you complete 500 words of proofreading (you can earn more if you can get a job back to a client quickly)? 

15 Great Links: Working from Home as a Writer

It's true that working from home can bring special challenges, and working for yourself brings even more interesting situations! Further, being a writer takes real focus and brain space. 

Please enjoy my writing roundup of fabulous posts about working from home as a writer!

6 Essential Things to Make Your Writing Session More Productive

7 Steps to Freelance Writing Success

Dads Can Write for Parenting Publications Too!

AdvancedWriters.com: Book Review Service with Expert Writers

How to Make a Living Writing Books

Today's guest author is an authority on book writing and offers tips on supporting yourself as a writer — because it is entirely possible! Read on to find out what he says about public speaking, the kryptonite that keeps some writers from succeeding, and more!

Do you have kryptonite as a writer?

As a writer, you could have a "kryptonite"—that one thing you can't seem to get over. It can be a writing disability, a lack of time, or something else. The most successful authors, like LB Wells, can overcome these challenges.

There are some actions you can do to combat your weakness:

1. You need to identify it.
2. It would be best if you eliminated it.
3. You must take the necessary steps to prevent it from returning.

In a nutshell, developing your writing skills and imagination is essential to become a writer. It's vital to plan your writing week so you can write many words. It would be best if you worked on speed. It will be ideal if you have good time management skills.

Writing for Parenting Magazines

 

I think it’s important to record how you started doing something you are very passionate about, so I’m going to share my writer story. Keep in mind I didn’t have Internet access at my house until roughly 2013, so my early career was spent researching and submitting at the library, at my mom’s house, my dad’s house, friends’ houses, my husband’s workplace, etc. I was determined and I had a fire in my belly!

I always thought of myself as a writer growing up, but I didn’t think I was that great at it…nothing special. I got good grades in English and Creative Writing classes in school and even wrote some decent papers during my community college years. I was always observing, journaling, and venting on paper. Interesting things happened to me, as well as experiences that would have served as great warning stories for others, but I didn’t know how to craft them into something people would want to read.

Write for Pregnancy and Newborn Magazine

*As of July 2020, there is not a print version of this magazine

Freelance Writers
We’re glad you’re interested in the prospect of working with Pregnancy & Newborn magazine—we’re always looking to add to our pool of writers and are currently accepting freelance submissions! Please read and follow the guidelines below so you can query us effectively and we can respond efficiently.

First, familiarize yourself with Pregnancy & Newborn both in print and online. Our targeted audience is comprised of women who are expecting or have a child under the age of 1. We strive to provide insightful, informative articles that discuss all things pregnancy- and baby-related in a casual, conversational, girlfriend-to-girlfriend manner. As a national magazine, we cover topics that are relevant to pregnant and new moms across the country.

The Art and Business of Writing by Chris Jones

Loved this book (The Art & Business of Writing) by the man who is also the editor at Fredericksburg Parent & Family Magazine. Here's the piece I wrote for them on how to raise a resilient child.

There is so much helpful advice in this book, and it's the perfect size ... not too long and not too short. It even went beyond where I am in my career right now and took it to business cards and web hosting (I just use free Blogger and have since 2008) advice.

Western New York Family Magazine Call for Articles for 2022 Issues

UPDATE 10/15/22: WNY Family's current "Journey into Fatherhood" columnist is "retiring" in January 2023, so we are looking for a new "voice" to take his place. If you're a dad who enjoys writing and can reliably put together a 750-word column on deadline each month, we'd like to hear from you. The choice of topics is up to you — serious or humorous — dealing with the wild ride of being a dad in today's world. There is a modest payment for each column. If interested, email a sample 750-word column to michele@wnyfamilymagazine.com. Please put FATHERHOOD COLUMN in your subject line.

DIGITAL ISSUE - Western New York Family Magazine (wnyfamilymagazine.com)

Western New York Family is looking for articles for their 2022 issues! 

Please read the information below to see what they are looking for, and good luck to you 😃 You can find the complete list of writer's guidelines for Western New York Family here, as well as information for 599 more markets, in my book titled The Mother of All Writing Market Books!