With a fresh year approaching, how about taking a fresh challenge: drop your old, worn-out writing habits and adopt a new approach to your craft. You might be surprised at how a simple change of pace, style, and attitude can bring revived life to your writing—along with a year of productivity. Try these eight ideas for starting the New Year fresh, and see how you can unleash a new writer in you that’s better, bolder, and bound for success. Set Writing Goals Make this year the

Ready to delve into a writing career? Make summer in Minnesota the time and place you begin. These three tips will help you get started: Attend a Summer Class or Conference Taking a class or attending a conference or workshop is a great way to learn the craft of writing, get some feedback, and practice your skills. The best part? You can find just about any type of class or conference in Minnesota during summer. Got a passion for Christian writing? Check out the Northwestern

Here are nine reasons to take the task of self-editing seriously: It’s good practice. Self-editing is a good way to brush up on the rules of grammar, spelling, and style. It also helps you become more proficient at using key writing resources, like dictionaries, thesauruses, and style guides. It can make or break a sale. When there isn’t time or resources to send your work out to be edited, a self-polished piece has a much better chance of landing a sale than one that hasn’t

So you’re well on your way to a blossoming freelance writing career. You’ve got plenty of publishing credits to your name, clients with upcoming projects tailored just for you, and fresh ideas for writing pieces you plan to tackle this year. What more do you need to succeed? You might say nothing—but you’d be wrong. To succeed in today’s freelance writing world, there are some key must-haves for experienced writers that fall outside the obvious. Here are five that come to min

If you don’t already own a good thesaurus, now’s the time to invest in one. A thesaurus isn’t just a useful writing tool; it can turn out to be one of your most valuable resources and one you’ll find hard to live without. I like to compare a thesaurus to a best friend. Here’s why: It makes you better. The purpose of a thesaurus is to help you discover the right word choice. No two words are exactly the same; synonyms have similar meanings but different connotations. Sometimes

What's different about this book? First of all, it doesn't address every aspect of writing. Instead, No Average Writer points out common writing mistakes that you may not even be aware you're making—and how to avoid making them. The book also focuses on how to improve your writing skills and style, rather than trying to write like someone else. If you want to get noticed among the throng of writers out there, why not give the book a try. Read on for more information: Are you

When I moved to Minnesota, I didn’t spend much time at my local public library. I would drop in now and then and check out children’s books for my young kids. Every once in a while, I’d browse through the adult section, but I was more likely to head to Barnes & Noble for reading material. Little did I know back then how important the public library would become to me—not so much as a reader but as a writer. Today, the library is the first place I go for research, even if it’s

New writers looking for advice from published authors are often told to read, read, read. Reading, they say, helps make you a better writer. A great tip, except that some writers are left wondering what exactly they should be reading and how they should be reading it. When I read, I do it as a reader first. I start by choosing books that I want to read.  Often, they’re books that have been recommended to me or books that I’ve read about. I don’t just settle on one genre or ty