Writer Tip

How Grammarly Can Make You A Better Writer

by Dusten Carlson
October 17, 2019

All professional writers would love to be complete masters of grammar. However, creating flawless first drafts isn’t a natural skill. Producing nothing but error-free work is nearly impossible. Even those who are well-practiced at proper grammar can still make handfuls of mistakes in their work.

Although applications like Microsoft Word can catch grammatical inconsistencies with a fair amount of accuracy, they don’t necessarily help improve your relationship with proper grammar across the course of time.

One superb program, Grammarly, could be your long-term solution to not only correcting your grammar upfront but learning how to avoid mistakes and write more effectively in the future.

How does Grammarly work—and how can it make you a more adept writer?

No first draft is perfect.

However, writers often struggle to look at their own work with a critical eye. That’s what makes Grammarly such an essential tool for writers—it helps you recognize your mistakes and turn any first draft into a grammatically-polished gem. From exposing misused punctuation to pointing out misspellings to identifying errors in sentence structure, Grammarly ensures that your final drafts are free of any errors that turn audiences off of your writing.

It’s extremely easy to use.

Signing up for Grammarly is completely free (unless you want to upgrade). One phenomenal feature of Grammarly that competitors haven’t matched is that you can plug the application into your Google Chrome browser. Grammarly will then help you with your grammar, vocabulary, and general writing across all online platforms, from your work emails to your Google Docs files.

How does it work? Grammarly jumps into action while you write. The platform catches grammatical errors in real-time and suggests a number of thoughtful solutions to improve skewed sentences, misused vocabulary words, and incorrect usage of punctuation.

A major plus of the program is that Grammarly is both highly useful for improving individual pieces of work and for helping you achieve artistic success in the future. In addition, the application can help you develop essential skills for constructing well-written pieces on a deadline.

How does the solution-based application help you become a more skilled writer over the course of time?

Grammarly helps make your writing both error-free and effective.

The application doesn’t merely seek out issues with the simple grammar of your work. A unique feature of Grammarly that sets it apart from other grammar-checking software is that it also helps you find ways to improve the pre-existing, grammatically-correct writing on the page.

For example, if Grammarly notices a string of words that could be more concisely summarized in one word, it will suggest that you replace them in order to make your work more succinct (i.e. suggesting that you replace “a great number” with “several”).

Features such as these (i.e. recognizing a need for conciseness) can help you produce writing that communicates more effectively and is consistently engaging. In addition, as Grammarly reinforces practicing effective sentence structure, word choice, and punctuation, it’s training your brain to recognize how to make more effective writing choices on your own in the future.

Grammarly Premium offers even more ways to improve.

If you choose to upgrade to Grammarly Premium, you’ll be treated to a plethora of useful features that can vastly improve the quality and content of your writing. Grammarly Premium has all of the same tools as the free version, yet includes features that can take your text from great to outstanding.

These include suggesting thoughtful and unique vocabulary words to replace bland ones, scanning your writing for genre-based stylistic choices, detecting plagiarism, examining your document for readability, and much more.

The upgraded version also provides logistical insight about your writing process (number of unique vocabulary words, your average sentence length, etc.) and facilitates access between yourself and a human proofreader ($.02 per word). The prices for Grammarly Premium currently sit at $29.95 per month for a monthly subscription, $19.98 per month for a quarterly subscription, and $11.66 for an annual subscription. While you may feel that this application is a bit pricey, it’s difficult to place value on an application that is a virtual editor, a grammar checker, and a writing coach, all in one.

Final thoughts

Grammarly can help you improve both your finished pieces/works-in-progress and expanding your writing abilities, making it one of the best grammar-checking applications available on the market.

Not only does Grammarly help you improve your writing in real-time; the application also enriches your writing skill-set over time.

Whether you go for the free or paid version of the program, Grammarly’s reinforcement of proper and thoughtful grammar, sentence structure, word choice and more is certain to help you become a more effective, succinct writer in no time.

Writer Tip

Are Long-Tail Keywords Still A Useful Tool In 2019?

by Dave Polykoff
October 14, 2019

keyword usage is essential to master. Most writers use short keywords compulsively in their prose. However, many bloggers don’t realize the significance of utilizing long-tail keywords when it comes to their traffic and SEO.

So, what are long-tail keywords? How important are long-tail keywords when it comes to building a blog, brand, or site? Are they still a useful tool in 2019?

The Short Answer: Yes.

Long-tail keywords can be extremely useful when it comes to your site’s content, ranking, and traffic. This being said, they aren’t a magic tool that can instantly improve your site’s rankings. However, long-tail keywords can help you organically improve your traffic (and, in turn, your SEO ranking) over time.

How Do They Improve Your Site’s Traffic?

If a consumer is searching for information about types of fruit that help with weight loss, they won’t type “fruit” into the search bar. Average people tend to search using long-tail keywords such as “fruit for weight loss” or “weight loss fruit.”

Specific keywords are more useful for consumers. They won’t have to hunt as hard to find the specific content that they are seeking. Long-tail keywords help to guide consumers in the right direction while narrowing the scope of their searches. As a bonus, this will decrease competition from other sites.

How Do They Support Your SEO Ranking?

Above all else, Google is concerned with providing their users with secure and compelling search results. The specificity of long-tail keywords suggests that a site’s content is likely strong and/or specific rather than vague, general, or diluted. Due to this, long-tail keywords can help improve your SEO ranking over time.

Google tends to optimize sites that practice consistent use of long-tail keywords.

Practices To Keep In Mind

Your long-tail keyword should relate to your site’s main keyword. Whatever long-tail keywords that you utilize should always branch off of the main keyword of your site. If your long-tail keywords are irrelevant to your site’s central topic, you won’t enjoy the SEO boost that consistent and relevant long-tail keyword usage can bring you.

Long-tail keywords shouldn’t be too lengthy. You want long-tail keywords to be specific. However, long-tail keywords that are too lengthy are unhelpful. Consumers don’t typically search in complete sentences. Your long-tail keywords shouldn’t be more than a few words, either.

Strike a balance between short and long-tail keywords. You shouldn’t only utilize long-tail keywords in your prose. Short keywords are helpful when it comes to attracting a broader audience. Additionally, using a mixture of short and long-tail keywords can help you analyze the searchability of any variety of keywords related to your site, brand, or blog.

Repetition is key! In order to enjoy the organic traffic boost associated with the use of long-tail keywords, you can’t only plug them in once. Consistent usage of the same long-tail keywords is what will ultimately improve your following and SEO across time.

Final Thoughts

Long-tail keywords are an essential tool for writers, bloggers, and brand-builders. When utilized properly, they can improve traffic to your site and boost your SEO ranking. Do you have any tips for using long-tail keywords effectively? Have you enjoyed success utilizing long-tail keywords? Let us know in the comments below!

Writer Tip

How To Stay Motivated As A Freelance Writer

by Dusten Carlson
October 7, 2019

Ask a professional how to stay motivated as a freelance writer and a variety of suggestions will surface.
Often repeated will be the importance of setting goals, staying focused and, believe it or not, getting away from writing (at least for short periods).

Setting Goals

It’s imperative as a freelance writer to remember that unlike a regular job, no one is watching that tasks get done. Since freelance writing puts that burden on you, it is helpful to start each day (and week) with goals to shoot for.

Keep a list of deadlines for each day, and the days following, and use it to plug away at assignments.

Goals, by the way, can include setting a certain number of new-business pitches each day or week – a different kind of writing that can break the monotony from assignments like writing blogs.

Tips For Staying Focused

Working off a checklist helps establish a routine and a focus on what needs to get done.

When your focus feels like it may be blurring, set reminders about why you’re freelance writing in the first place. Place inspirational quotes or slogans around the workspace; set up alerts to be emailed or texted to yourself. Whatever it takes to establish and maintain that drive that is needed to succeed on your own.

Engaging with other writers can be quite helpful, too, to pick up motivation tips and just for general support.

Self-Care

Supporting your mental and physical health as a freelance writer is a third common denominator to surface when asking someone for freelance writing motivation tips.

Once again consider a routine, such as turning off the mobile phone or other electronic gadgets while you write.

Health-wise, be sure to get enough exercise as doing so forces you to get away from the keyboard and let your mind “recover” from an overflow of word production that freelance writing can cause.

Force yourself to take breaks from writing, such as attending social events are just scheduling a 30-minute walk each day, to get fresh air, rejuvenate your mind, find inspiration for writing topics or to simply break from thinking about writing all the time.

Writer Tip

3 Essential Skills For Full-Time Freelance Writers To Master

by Dusten Carlson
September 30, 2019

In the 21st century, many professional writers are turning to freelancing as a full-time occupation. While being your own boss, setting your own schedule, and choosing your own clients may sound like a dream, freelancing isn’t as simple as it sounds. It’s necessary to develop a handful of unique, well-refined skills, both in terms of writing and personal management, to succeed as a freelancer.

These are three essential skills that full-time freelancers must master in order to thrive in the field of freelancing.

1. Become a dynamic writer.

If you plan to freelance long-term, becoming a dynamic, adaptable writer is essential. You may feel that your niche is in a particular area of writing. However, breaking personal rigidity and becoming flexible enough to write in multiple writing styles can open you up to a variety of new clients.

What types of writing styles are most important to master?

Lifestyle writing and formal writing are two of the most widely-utilized writing styles in freelancing. Lifestyle writing tends to be amusing, engaging, and entertaining, utilizing an informal tone, casual wordplay, and humor. Formal writing tends to be educational and informative, utilizing an authoritative tone, calculated word choices, and formal stylistic choices. The ability to write both lifestyle and formal pieces is indispensable when it comes to acquiring a more diverse selection of work, and, in the process, more clients.

2. Know how to manage your time.

The importance of time management cannot be emphasized enough. As a freelancer, you serve as your own boss, so your entire schedule is in your hands. This means that you decide both when you are going to work and how much you are going to work. If you don’t know how to manage your time properly, your productivity (and your income) will suffer.

What are the best ways to manage your time as a freelancer?

As your own boss, you should strive to construct your own work schedule. This means setting aside specific hours of the day/days of the week to focus solely on your work. If you’re a workaholic, scheduling in breaks is important, too. Overworking yourself is just as unproductive as underworking yourself, as you will burn out and begin to produce sub-par work. It’s essential to understand your workload, your deadlines, and how to produce quality work with quick turnaround times to keep yourself and your clients happy.

3. Develop your own editing skills.

Many traditional publications have upper-editors that browse your work for errors and inconsistencies. However, when it comes to freelancing, you must typically serve as your own editor. Learning to properly revise your writing is as important as writing the piece itself.

Why is editing your own work such a significant skill?

Proper editing is essential for turning a good piece into a great one. Being able to view your writing with a critical eye can help you consistently produce high-quality final drafts. The ability to spot typos and grammatical errors, inconsistent tone, confusing wording, unfocused content, and other issues in your work is invaluable. Learning to correct issues and do so with ease is what separates a talented writer from a skilled one.

Writer Tip

How To Create A Writing Routine As A Freelance Writer

by Dusten Carlson
September 23, 2019

At first glance, a writing routine as a freelance writer may seem superfluous, or just flat-out unnecessary. But take a closer look and the freelance writer can discover multiple advantages available by establishing simple repetition.

Figure Out When You’re Most Productive

As with many endeavors, it’s probably best to begin with what works best. That said, think about starting by determining your best time to write.

Many writers perform best in the morning, others at night, some in between, even others in bits and pieces. Most established writers will know, and focusing on working during those optimum times is vital.

Write Every Day

Once the best time to write is set, get in the practice of writing every day, no matter what. Besides meeting client obligations, this helps train the mind to best switch gears into writing mode, much like elite athletes get themselves into the “zone.”

Over time this makes it easier to execute writing assignments – and may even allow you to complete more tasks overall.

Think of it the way athletes consider practice: it develops and hones skills, which only can help.

For writers, this could be as simple as an extended Instagram post, a marketing-related email message, blog writing or writing pitches for more content marketing work.

Guard Your Time

Finally, establish times just for writing, and protect it.

That is, set a schedule, stick with it, and don’t let outside influences like text messages or email inboxes distract. Even use a digital calendar (such as those on smartphones) to hold writing time – and even text or email reminders to yourself to get to it.

Key Takeaways For Writers

These four things – determining the best time to write, writing daily, and scheduling and protecting writing time – are the base for creating a solid writing routine for a freelance writer.

Using this foundation should free more time for associated activities like coming up with new content ideas, marketing yourself, or planning ahead with outlines or a looking-ahead calendar.

All together, these things can only lead to success.

Getting Started

Three Proven Tips To Help You Start A Freelance Writing Career With No Experience

by Deborah Cameron
September 18, 2019

Are you looking to write professionally but don’t have formal, paid experience? Believe it or not, there are proven steps that beginning writers can take in order to build their client base.

Freelance careers aren’t created overnight. They’re made with determination and a willingness to use feedback to hone their craft and serve clients better. Here are some of the first steps you can take to get going.

Develop A Regular Writing Schedule

If you’re planning to earn serious money from freelance writing it is best to treat it like a regular job with consistent hours. The choice for the hours can depend entirely on your schedule and work habits. If you have more time to work on weekends then go for it. If early mornings are your thing, do that instead. You get the idea.

The key isn’t when you write, it is working at it regularly and communicating with clients reliably. Ultimately, that kind of writing discipline will go a long way towards building solid, lucrative client relationships.

Build And Prove Your Skills

Identify outlets for your writing that will help you improve your skills and show others what you can do. Initially, if these outlets pay anything at all it won’t be much. And they’re not likely to have a byline. But they will help establish your solid reputation.

Ideas for places to prove yourself are plentiful. They include starting your own personal blog, participating in a writing internship, looking for beginning writer jobs on online job websites, and offering to barter your services to other small businesses.

Once you have solid examples of your work, add them into an online portfolio so you can show off the experience you’ve gained.

Pay Attention To Feedback On Your Work

Wherever possible, try to get unbiased feedback on your work. Some websites for beginning writers may even have formal feedback processes. Thoroughly consider any feedback you receive, especially if the person providing it has professional writing experience. This will help you build your skills and serve clients better as you grow your freelance business.

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