Posts
Julie Morris, April 2009, All rights reserved.
*This is available in PowerPoint Presentation format, and as a movie file (with music) for viewing in Windows Media Player. Contact me for Usage License Pricing. Attn. Julie:twsstaff@yahoo.com
Thursday, April 30, 2009
What Content Can Do for You
Julie Morris, April 2009, All rights reserved.
*This is available in PowerPoint Presentation format, and as a movie file (with music) for viewing in Windows Media Player. Contact me for Usage License Pricing. Attn. Julie:twsstaff@yahoo.com
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
How to Write Your Movie Script
You have a great idea for a movie that is sure to be a hit. Now you just need to write the script for your movie so that you can pitch it to the movers and shakers in the movie industry that can get it onto the big screen. The pointers outlined below following will help you to write a professional and polished movie script that has a better chance of a reading by industry execs, than the chance of a toss into the nearest garbage can.
Before You Sit Down to Write Your Movie Script
An idea or concept for a movie idea is fantastic; however, you need to take care of some preliminary work before you actually sit down to the work of writing your movie script.
• Brainstorm and flesh out all of the details involved in your idea so that you have a solid foundation of understanding about what you want to convey with your movie, the genre your movie will fall under, and where to go with your movie idea from this point.
•Research the genre that best matches the type of story your movie depicts, and learn the rules of writing, and script writing for that specific genre.
•If, your story takes place in locations and settings that you are not familiar with or your characters speak a foreign language, research these details so that you have the information you need to create strong storylines, characters, and dialogue throughout your story.
•Develop an outline so that you can follow and track characters and scenes as you create them to make sure you have not forgotten important elements for your story.
◦You can divide your outline into three sections. The first is the opening, in which you introduce the hero, the dilemma the hero needs to conquer, as well as introducing the story’s antagonist, and supporting characters. The second section is where you give the story’s protagonist a centralized positioning to the dilemma faced in the story. Here is where you also heighten a sense of anxiety and hopelessness towards successfully conquering the dilemma. In the third section, the hero enters amidst great anxiety and hopelessness to an intense confrontation to which he or she must triumph over for closure to the story’s dilemma.
Now you are ready to get down to the writing of your script. Follow these guidelines to writing a movie script to industry standards.
Industry Standard for Movie Script Formatting
•Font: Courier
•Size: 12 pt.
•Spacing: Single
•Page Numbers: Do not start numbering your pages until the second page of your script
•Header: Do not place on the cover or first page of your script. Starting on the second page of your script, right-justify the header and include script title, and page number within the header
• Cover Page: Centered, No Header and No Page Number, Script Title, Author’s Name, and Copyright Info, Hit Enter-Once, Justify Left, Input Author Contact Information
•Script Opening: Use-Fade In
•Script Ending: Use-Fade Out
•Script Voice: Present Tense
•Setting/Scene Labeling: Use-INT for indoor settings and EXT for outdoor settings. Include a description of where and what time of day scene action and character dialogue takes place. An indoor setting/scene label could look like this. INT. Kitchen- Early Morning //or// EXT. Driveway- Sunset.
• Character Dialogue: Hit tab button 4 times and type the name of the character before hitting return, and then hitting the tab button again three times, which you will then be ready for typing in the dialogue. ◦Attempt to keep all dialogue within the width span of two tabs however if it spills over into another page, end the previous page with Continued on Next Page, and Open the next page with: Continued.◦ Whenever you make references to speaking characters in your script, their names should be in all CAPS.
Julie Morris, Freelance writer. The Write Station LLC, 2009. All rights reserved. Contact author about this article.
Before You Sit Down to Write Your Movie Script
An idea or concept for a movie idea is fantastic; however, you need to take care of some preliminary work before you actually sit down to the work of writing your movie script.
• Brainstorm and flesh out all of the details involved in your idea so that you have a solid foundation of understanding about what you want to convey with your movie, the genre your movie will fall under, and where to go with your movie idea from this point.
•Research the genre that best matches the type of story your movie depicts, and learn the rules of writing, and script writing for that specific genre.
•If, your story takes place in locations and settings that you are not familiar with or your characters speak a foreign language, research these details so that you have the information you need to create strong storylines, characters, and dialogue throughout your story.
•Develop an outline so that you can follow and track characters and scenes as you create them to make sure you have not forgotten important elements for your story.
◦You can divide your outline into three sections. The first is the opening, in which you introduce the hero, the dilemma the hero needs to conquer, as well as introducing the story’s antagonist, and supporting characters. The second section is where you give the story’s protagonist a centralized positioning to the dilemma faced in the story. Here is where you also heighten a sense of anxiety and hopelessness towards successfully conquering the dilemma. In the third section, the hero enters amidst great anxiety and hopelessness to an intense confrontation to which he or she must triumph over for closure to the story’s dilemma.
Now you are ready to get down to the writing of your script. Follow these guidelines to writing a movie script to industry standards.
Industry Standard for Movie Script Formatting
•Font: Courier
•Size: 12 pt.
•Spacing: Single
•Page Numbers: Do not start numbering your pages until the second page of your script
•Header: Do not place on the cover or first page of your script. Starting on the second page of your script, right-justify the header and include script title, and page number within the header
• Cover Page: Centered, No Header and No Page Number, Script Title, Author’s Name, and Copyright Info, Hit Enter-Once, Justify Left, Input Author Contact Information
•Script Opening: Use-Fade In
•Script Ending: Use-Fade Out
•Script Voice: Present Tense
•Setting/Scene Labeling: Use-INT for indoor settings and EXT for outdoor settings. Include a description of where and what time of day scene action and character dialogue takes place. An indoor setting/scene label could look like this. INT. Kitchen- Early Morning //or// EXT. Driveway- Sunset.
• Character Dialogue: Hit tab button 4 times and type the name of the character before hitting return, and then hitting the tab button again three times, which you will then be ready for typing in the dialogue. ◦Attempt to keep all dialogue within the width span of two tabs however if it spills over into another page, end the previous page with Continued on Next Page, and Open the next page with: Continued.◦ Whenever you make references to speaking characters in your script, their names should be in all CAPS.
Julie Morris, Freelance writer. The Write Station LLC, 2009. All rights reserved. Contact author about this article.
Monday, April 27, 2009
A Little Boy Dreams of a Successful Writing Career
Sometimes we write the jokes and sometimes jokes are written about writers.
Once upon a time, a boy dreamed about becoming a famous writer one day with lots of devoted readers.
He shared his dream with his teacher and she asked him what he intended to write about.
His reply to her, “I want to write about things the entire world will be reading and that will tug at their emotions so hard that they will cry, scream, bang their heads, and maybe even upend a table, or toss a laptop across the room in response to reading something I wrote.”
Did this boy grow up and live out his dream to be a famous writer?
You decide. He now spends his days writing computer and web error messages for Microsoft.
Once upon a time, a boy dreamed about becoming a famous writer one day with lots of devoted readers.
He shared his dream with his teacher and she asked him what he intended to write about.
His reply to her, “I want to write about things the entire world will be reading and that will tug at their emotions so hard that they will cry, scream, bang their heads, and maybe even upend a table, or toss a laptop across the room in response to reading something I wrote.”
Did this boy grow up and live out his dream to be a famous writer?
You decide. He now spends his days writing computer and web error messages for Microsoft.
Saturday, April 25, 2009
Writer Trivia Quiz 1
Get ready to challenge your brain by taking this: Writers Trivia Quiz 1.
Questions:
1. A scribe is another name for this.
2. Unlike at Cheers where everybody knows your name, yours might be an enigma as of a result of using this.
3. Good writers can earn lots of these.
4. Doing this means, others will be able to read your works.
5. Every writer experiences some of this before success.
6. Name this great research tool for writers.
7. You may have hundreds of them but they always seem to go on strike when you need them.
8. Writers dread this condition as it impedes the creative process.
9. A digital volume is another name for this.
10. Shorter word derived from the term: Internet and is ½ the name of this blog.
11. This activity has documented events throughout the ages and continues today.
12. This is one popular online banking/payment-processing center.
13. This is an act of stealing the works of another writer.
14. This online program detects stolen works.
15. This genre in writing embraces fabricated stories.
16. This writer gets in touch with his or her younger-self by writing these.
17. Books with ghoulish tales to tell can be located in the spooky section of bookstores also known as this.
18. Truthful and factual accounts (along with varying amounts of creative licensing) about people, places, and events are what these written works consist of.
19. This online term says that a writer selling their written works and writing services is one of these.
20. Who to thank or blame, for this fun or lame, writers quiz.
How well do you think you did on this quiz? Check your answers against those answers provided below.
Answers:
(1. A writer )(2. A penname) (3. Awards, reviews, accolades, and money)
( 4. Publishing ) (5. Rejection) (6. Wikipedia)
(7. Pens )(8. Writers block )(9. E-book )
(10. Net) (11. Writing)(12. PayPal)
(13. Plagiarism)(14. CopyScape)(15. Fiction)
(16. Children’s books)(17. Horror)(18. Nonfiction)
(19. A Content Provider)(20. Your NetWrite Blog administrator (Julie) and her co-conspirators.
Questions:
1. A scribe is another name for this.
2. Unlike at Cheers where everybody knows your name, yours might be an enigma as of a result of using this.
3. Good writers can earn lots of these.
4. Doing this means, others will be able to read your works.
5. Every writer experiences some of this before success.
6. Name this great research tool for writers.
7. You may have hundreds of them but they always seem to go on strike when you need them.
8. Writers dread this condition as it impedes the creative process.
9. A digital volume is another name for this.
10. Shorter word derived from the term: Internet and is ½ the name of this blog.
11. This activity has documented events throughout the ages and continues today.
12. This is one popular online banking/payment-processing center.
13. This is an act of stealing the works of another writer.
14. This online program detects stolen works.
15. This genre in writing embraces fabricated stories.
16. This writer gets in touch with his or her younger-self by writing these.
17. Books with ghoulish tales to tell can be located in the spooky section of bookstores also known as this.
18. Truthful and factual accounts (along with varying amounts of creative licensing) about people, places, and events are what these written works consist of.
19. This online term says that a writer selling their written works and writing services is one of these.
20. Who to thank or blame, for this fun or lame, writers quiz.
How well do you think you did on this quiz? Check your answers against those answers provided below.
Answers:
(1. A writer )(2. A penname) (3. Awards, reviews, accolades, and money)
( 4. Publishing ) (5. Rejection) (6. Wikipedia)
(7. Pens )(8. Writers block )(9. E-book )
(10. Net) (11. Writing)(12. PayPal)
(13. Plagiarism)(14. CopyScape)(15. Fiction)
(16. Children’s books)(17. Horror)(18. Nonfiction)
(19. A Content Provider)(20. Your NetWrite Blog administrator (Julie) and her co-conspirators.
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
The NetWrite Chat Forum
Visit our chat forum to connect with other NetWrite members and guests.
UPDATED INFORMATION: 6-25-09
The chat forum has a new name. It is now the NetBiz Network. The URL for the forum has not changed as of yet, due to the number of places I will have to update with this information before changing the URL When and if I do decide a change for the url is necessary, I will update everyone about the change here.
Nothing else about the forum has or will change. Writers, internet entrepreneurs/marketers, and all those interested in working and making money online are welcomed and invited to share information about working online/ business opportunities/ and how to be successful at making money online.
Saturday, April 18, 2009
The "Lingo" of Net Writing: Part Three
Telecommuting: refers to working from home, while traveling, or outside the office.
Telecommuter: is someone who works exclusively from home, from a mobile station, or away from an office.
Usage Rights: refers to a type of license a writer may grant someone else in using the writers’ written works on webpage’s, in newsletters, and elsewhere, without making any changes to the piece and properly citing the writer as the author of the piece.
Unique Rights: refers to another type of license that writers may grant to others in using the written works they produce. This differs from usage rights, and is also known as, “full rights” licensing. This means, that a writer grants permission for the use of their works, as is, changed to a users preferences, without having to credit the writer, and a user may even claim the work as their own. Writers also agree to not to sell these full rights more than once, or to display works, whose full rights have been transferred to another, anywhere else, so that duplicating of content does not occur.
Unique Article: refers to an article that has 100% original and unique wording created by a writer, and not information copied from somewhere else and then pasted into the body of an article.
Unique Content: is the same as unique articles in that they must be a 100% original and unique. However, it spans the entire spectrum of writer-produced works, not just articles.
Julie M. 2009, twsstaff@yahoo.com, all rights reserved.
I hope that you have found the series: The "Lingo" of Net Writing, informative and useful. I will share new ones with you whenever I come across them and certainly, if readers have any, please share them with the rest of us here. Thank You.
Saturday, April 11, 2009
My Dear Fellow Writers:
Do any of you other writers suffer from a chronic condition like me of writing in the passive tense, in every other sentence (according to that annoying paperclip dude in WORD, anyway.)
If you used to, but found a way to overcome your tendency to write passively so much, could you share some tips with me? Please!
How many of you have tried to revise your sentence in hopes of appeasing the little bugger, only to say “screw you, know-it-all proper grammar freak ” several sentences later? Maybe I am the only one who has ever behaved in such an irrational manner. (Can you believe that I had to re-do this sentence because HE said my first attempt was a split infinitive?!) I chose to use 2 punctuation marks there and ignore his warning that I should not, so “up yours” WORD program grammar coach!
I guess when you put your dukes, ready to throw down with a program icon intended to keep your grammar usage and spelling in check: it is a clear sign of a very long day of writing. Could be insanity too I suppose. I am choosing to go with too much writing for one day though. My possible insanity is my prerogative to call “writers exhaustion” instead. If you are nuts too, by all means, give it whatever name floats your boat.
I started out with this post in all seriousness and rational thought….How did I fall into the crazy zone?
If you do have some suggestions that may help me to curb my tendency to write passive sentences, I sure would appreciate you sharing them with me here. (Wow, the paperclip remained silent on this sentence!) I guess that is my cue to stop while I am ahead. Thank You and Good Night!
If you used to, but found a way to overcome your tendency to write passively so much, could you share some tips with me? Please!
How many of you have tried to revise your sentence in hopes of appeasing the little bugger, only to say “screw you, know-it-all proper grammar freak ” several sentences later? Maybe I am the only one who has ever behaved in such an irrational manner. (Can you believe that I had to re-do this sentence because HE said my first attempt was a split infinitive?!) I chose to use 2 punctuation marks there and ignore his warning that I should not, so “up yours” WORD program grammar coach!
I guess when you put your dukes, ready to throw down with a program icon intended to keep your grammar usage and spelling in check: it is a clear sign of a very long day of writing. Could be insanity too I suppose. I am choosing to go with too much writing for one day though. My possible insanity is my prerogative to call “writers exhaustion” instead. If you are nuts too, by all means, give it whatever name floats your boat.
I started out with this post in all seriousness and rational thought….How did I fall into the crazy zone?
If you do have some suggestions that may help me to curb my tendency to write passive sentences, I sure would appreciate you sharing them with me here. (Wow, the paperclip remained silent on this sentence!) I guess that is my cue to stop while I am ahead. Thank You and Good Night!
Friday, April 10, 2009
The "Lingo" of Net Writing...Part Two
Here are some more terms commonly used in net writing.
DL: refers to the deadline of when a writing assignment is due.
Escrow: refers to the placement of payment funds into an account where they are (held) until a project is completed, and may include other terms such as, hold until buyer is satisfied with completed project.
FFA: refers to free for all, which indicates that parts of projects are fully open for claiming by writers on job boards without a maximum number of project part claims (per writer) restrictions.
Freelancer: refers to writer who works independently from the companies or institutions they provide writing services for
FIFTC: refers to a fairness policy for writers in place on many job boards of “first in, first to claim” posted jobs.
Job board: refers to any number of places where writers find writing jobs online. Such as websites, forums, blogs, ezines, classified ad sites, social networks, etc.
Keyword: refers to the key word or phrase that online searchers are most likely to use when looking for an article or other information related to the subject of the content a writer crafts.
Keyword density: This is a ratio of how many times a specific keyword or phrase, should appear in an article for seo purposes, while maintaining a natural flow for readers.
MB: refers to message board. These are often where you find the full details of listed writing jobs and can make bids, or ask for clarifications from the buyer prior to bidding.
Master Resell Rights: there are several definitions given for master resell rights and no one seems to be able to agree on any one in particular. This is because master resale rights cover a wide variety of products and branded services. For writers, you are the master of your works. Others cannot take your works, change them, or share or sell them without your permission, which you agree to grant through either the sale or transfer of your master rights to someone else.
Payout: refers to how much, when, and through what payment provider compensation for your completed works will occur.
Plagiarism: refers to copying, pasting, or in any other fashion using the works of another without the express permission to do so, and representing them as your own. This is a major NO-NO- in writing. Writers should hold themselves up to the highest ethical standards in all their writing and business practices.
PLR: refers to private label rights.
PLR Articles: refers to the private label a writer owns and can choose to sell on the articles he or she writes.
PM: refers to a private message
PMB: refers to the private message board found on some writing job sites, in which some details of a project are (hidden ) from public view, with access opened only for logged-in writers.
Project: this refers to the content that a buyer is requesting and typically includes buyer specifications on what the buyer is expecting the finished product to look like.
Service Provider: this is just an Internet fancy-smancy name for a writer who is in the business of writing and selling their written works.
Seo: refers to search engine optimizing of content to attract the attention and favor of search engines.
Snail Pay: refers to paychecks that come to you the old-fashioned and slower way of the United States Postal Service.
Specs: these are the requirements that a content buyer states in the description of the writing job they are outsourcing.
Julie M. 2009. twsstaff@yahoo.com, all rights reserved.
I will share more of the terms common in net writing in part three of this series. Do you have a few of your own to share? Leave them in the comment box so that we can all learn what they are and what they mean. Thanks!
DL: refers to the deadline of when a writing assignment is due.
Escrow: refers to the placement of payment funds into an account where they are (held) until a project is completed, and may include other terms such as, hold until buyer is satisfied with completed project.
FFA: refers to free for all, which indicates that parts of projects are fully open for claiming by writers on job boards without a maximum number of project part claims (per writer) restrictions.
Freelancer: refers to writer who works independently from the companies or institutions they provide writing services for
FIFTC: refers to a fairness policy for writers in place on many job boards of “first in, first to claim” posted jobs.
Job board: refers to any number of places where writers find writing jobs online. Such as websites, forums, blogs, ezines, classified ad sites, social networks, etc.
Keyword: refers to the key word or phrase that online searchers are most likely to use when looking for an article or other information related to the subject of the content a writer crafts.
Keyword density: This is a ratio of how many times a specific keyword or phrase, should appear in an article for seo purposes, while maintaining a natural flow for readers.
MB: refers to message board. These are often where you find the full details of listed writing jobs and can make bids, or ask for clarifications from the buyer prior to bidding.
Master Resell Rights: there are several definitions given for master resell rights and no one seems to be able to agree on any one in particular. This is because master resale rights cover a wide variety of products and branded services. For writers, you are the master of your works. Others cannot take your works, change them, or share or sell them without your permission, which you agree to grant through either the sale or transfer of your master rights to someone else.
Payout: refers to how much, when, and through what payment provider compensation for your completed works will occur.
Plagiarism: refers to copying, pasting, or in any other fashion using the works of another without the express permission to do so, and representing them as your own. This is a major NO-NO- in writing. Writers should hold themselves up to the highest ethical standards in all their writing and business practices.
PLR: refers to private label rights.
PLR Articles: refers to the private label a writer owns and can choose to sell on the articles he or she writes.
PM: refers to a private message
PMB: refers to the private message board found on some writing job sites, in which some details of a project are (hidden ) from public view, with access opened only for logged-in writers.
Project: this refers to the content that a buyer is requesting and typically includes buyer specifications on what the buyer is expecting the finished product to look like.
Service Provider: this is just an Internet fancy-smancy name for a writer who is in the business of writing and selling their written works.
Seo: refers to search engine optimizing of content to attract the attention and favor of search engines.
Snail Pay: refers to paychecks that come to you the old-fashioned and slower way of the United States Postal Service.
Specs: these are the requirements that a content buyer states in the description of the writing job they are outsourcing.
Julie M. 2009. twsstaff@yahoo.com, all rights reserved.
I will share more of the terms common in net writing in part three of this series. Do you have a few of your own to share? Leave them in the comment box so that we can all learn what they are and what they mean. Thanks!
Thursday, April 9, 2009
Fun Brain Games
Research studies show that "challenging" your brain regularly through learning about new things, picking up new words or languages, and even through playing games, can keep your brain healthier and functioning at it's optimal best, for longer as you get older.
I like the free and fun brain games found here: http://www.gamesforthebrain.com/ . My favorite game is Reversi. I usually visit this site a couple times a week. It is not "goofing off" when it is providing my brain with exercise is it? LOL
Note: Skip taking the I.Q Test, which has a box to click to take the test on the lower, left or right side of some game pages. That is unless you want to waste time navigating through 15 pages of offers just to get your score. Hmmm... perhaps that really is a test of one's I.Q after all!
I like the free and fun brain games found here: http://www.gamesforthebrain.com/ . My favorite game is Reversi. I usually visit this site a couple times a week. It is not "goofing off" when it is providing my brain with exercise is it? LOL
Note: Skip taking the I.Q Test, which has a box to click to take the test on the lower, left or right side of some game pages. That is unless you want to waste time navigating through 15 pages of offers just to get your score. Hmmm... perhaps that really is a test of one's I.Q after all!
Friday, April 3, 2009
Expand Your Vocabulary Every Day
Your brain is a muscle-give it some fun daily exercise, while expanding your vocabulary.
Click the link below for a new daily word that also includes a definition of the word, provided by Dictionary.Com. If the feed does not automatically refresh on its own, just hit your computers refresh button located at the top of your screen.
https://www.dictionary.com/
Click the link below for a new daily word that also includes a definition of the word, provided by Dictionary.Com. If the feed does not automatically refresh on its own, just hit your computers refresh button located at the top of your screen.
https://www.dictionary.com/
Check This for Writing Jobs
Checking various job boards for writing projects daily, is an all too familiar task for many writers. You have to look for them and then go after them if you want to earn enough to turn your writing into a full-fledged career, or work from home job.
Over time, you may be able to build a list of clients that request content from you on a regular basis, and earn the bulk of your pay for your writing services from them. I started my own writing company about 5 years ago and I have "ongoing" and new clients that come to me for my writing services.
I still maintain memberships in a few sites for writers, as well as check job boards for writers on slow days or weeks, when my schedule is open for writing gigs, separate from the writing I do for my personal clients.
Anyhoo, I thought I would pass along this link to a site for writers to find writing gigs. There you will also find many useful tools for writers. You may want to bookmark this website so you do not have to search for it when making the rounds looking for writing work. Good Luck, Hope You Catch Some Writing Gigs Today!
Copy and Paste the link below into a new window, or bookmark us before clicking on the link so that you can easily find your way back here.
http://www.freelancewritinggigs.com/
Over time, you may be able to build a list of clients that request content from you on a regular basis, and earn the bulk of your pay for your writing services from them. I started my own writing company about 5 years ago and I have "ongoing" and new clients that come to me for my writing services.
I still maintain memberships in a few sites for writers, as well as check job boards for writers on slow days or weeks, when my schedule is open for writing gigs, separate from the writing I do for my personal clients.
Anyhoo, I thought I would pass along this link to a site for writers to find writing gigs. There you will also find many useful tools for writers. You may want to bookmark this website so you do not have to search for it when making the rounds looking for writing work. Good Luck, Hope You Catch Some Writing Gigs Today!
Copy and Paste the link below into a new window, or bookmark us before clicking on the link so that you can easily find your way back here.
http://www.freelancewritinggigs.com/
The "Lingo" of Net Writing
As with most industries, the writing industry employs the use of common and some not-so-common terms in defining different aspects within the scope of the writing profession. Although you may find many of these terms throughout the various fields in writing, a few of them are "unique" to the specific writing fields where their names and definitions are created and used.
Below are eight terms that you will see frequently as a net writer. I have included definitions of those terms for the benefit of newcomers to net writing.
Bidder: refers to a writer who makes a “bid” to a posted job, stating price and estimated completion time, on job boards where writers receive projects based on bid(s) accepted by buyers.
Buyer: refers to the buyer of content. On some boards, you may see “project creator or job poster” which also means the individual or company intending to buy completed works from a writer they have contracted with to produce the content.
Commission Scale: This is how your pay breaks down on many writing job boards. Typical it is a 65/35 pay- split between writer and job board provider for completed work, with 65% going to the writer. . There are writing job boards offering the writer greater than 65% compensation for the works they produce.
Content: refers to articles, documents, images, presentations, and other works writers produce.
Content Provider: This is a name given to writers offering their writing services to buyers.
Copyright: This is a law that protects a writer’s work from being copied, or used without permission, or without proper citing of the true author, by others.
Copyscape: refers to an online resource for checking content to ensure that it is not copied, copyrighted, or duplicated material.
Copywriter: refers to a writer who writes copy for advertisements, press releases, and website mainframes.
Julie M. 2009. twsstaff@yahoo.com, all rights reserved.
There are more terms to know and understand in the net writing industry. New terms crop up on a regular basis too. I will continue sharing even more of the lingo in net writing that I have run across in my ten years writing for the net, and any new ones that pop-up as well in future posts.
Below are eight terms that you will see frequently as a net writer. I have included definitions of those terms for the benefit of newcomers to net writing.
Bidder: refers to a writer who makes a “bid” to a posted job, stating price and estimated completion time, on job boards where writers receive projects based on bid(s) accepted by buyers.
Buyer: refers to the buyer of content. On some boards, you may see “project creator or job poster” which also means the individual or company intending to buy completed works from a writer they have contracted with to produce the content.
Commission Scale: This is how your pay breaks down on many writing job boards. Typical it is a 65/35 pay- split between writer and job board provider for completed work, with 65% going to the writer. . There are writing job boards offering the writer greater than 65% compensation for the works they produce.
Content: refers to articles, documents, images, presentations, and other works writers produce.
Content Provider: This is a name given to writers offering their writing services to buyers.
Copyright: This is a law that protects a writer’s work from being copied, or used without permission, or without proper citing of the true author, by others.
Copyscape: refers to an online resource for checking content to ensure that it is not copied, copyrighted, or duplicated material.
Copywriter: refers to a writer who writes copy for advertisements, press releases, and website mainframes.
Julie M. 2009. twsstaff@yahoo.com, all rights reserved.
There are more terms to know and understand in the net writing industry. New terms crop up on a regular basis too. I will continue sharing even more of the lingo in net writing that I have run across in my ten years writing for the net, and any new ones that pop-up as well in future posts.
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Laws that Protect the Rights of Writers and Their Works
When you are a creator of any kind, it is important to know exactly how to protect your ideas and your work, and how the laws connected to these protections apply. Inventors apply for patents, and artists of any kind, including writers, get their work copyrighted. Copyrighting is the protection that applies to your words, preventing others from using them without your permission, and imposing a legal penalty if others use your work in their name.
The good news about copyright is that it happens automatically. Anything you write, from love notes to grocery lists are technically copyrighted, although you would probably get laughed out of court if you tried to sue someone for copying your grocery list. You do not have to draw a little c with a circle at the bottom of your page, or notify anyone, or pay anyone to have your work protected under copyright.
For some people, the concern that someone might steal your work, and then claim that you, not they, are violating copyright law is present, or you may wish to have the option to file a lawsuit for use of your work. If this is the case, you will want to register your copyright with the U.S. Copyright Office. That will help you protect your work in a public way, and will be eligible for statutory damages and legal fees in the case of successful litigation.
Some writers, though, do not feel the need to retain a copyright to their work. There are many writers, usually freelance, known as “ghost writers”, who write works for others, usually allowing the other person to list their own name as the author of the piece. In normal cases, this would be a violation of copyright law because the “author” is putting their name on a work that you created. This is made legal by selling the rights to the piece.
Different levels of rights can be sold. Use rights allow your work to be reproduced as long as it remains unchanged and your name remains on the piece. Master resell rights allow you to resell the piece that you buy from a writer, and to also sell the resale rights to others. This is a right that is sometimes included in Private Label Rights, or PLR. There is no one definition of PLR because the rights sold vary. Check the contract to be sure what rights you are getting.
In general, PLR may or may not include the rights to resell the piece, resell the resale rights, change the content, and claim the content as your own. In the freelance industry, most people will require full rights, meaning that you sell every right to your piece, including the copyright. In some cases you even lose the right to use the piece as a clip to show potential customers, so make sure that you read the contract carefully to be sure, and to ask questions if any terms do not make sense to you.
Please keep in mind that the “poor man’s copyright”, which means mailing your manuscript to yourself, is not legally sound and does not count as registration. The law is there to help protect you and your work so that you can continue to do what you love. Write on, secure in the knowledge that your work is protected, and learn to sell your work with a full understanding of the rights that you sell with it.
The good news about copyright is that it happens automatically. Anything you write, from love notes to grocery lists are technically copyrighted, although you would probably get laughed out of court if you tried to sue someone for copying your grocery list. You do not have to draw a little c with a circle at the bottom of your page, or notify anyone, or pay anyone to have your work protected under copyright.
For some people, the concern that someone might steal your work, and then claim that you, not they, are violating copyright law is present, or you may wish to have the option to file a lawsuit for use of your work. If this is the case, you will want to register your copyright with the U.S. Copyright Office. That will help you protect your work in a public way, and will be eligible for statutory damages and legal fees in the case of successful litigation.
Some writers, though, do not feel the need to retain a copyright to their work. There are many writers, usually freelance, known as “ghost writers”, who write works for others, usually allowing the other person to list their own name as the author of the piece. In normal cases, this would be a violation of copyright law because the “author” is putting their name on a work that you created. This is made legal by selling the rights to the piece.
Different levels of rights can be sold. Use rights allow your work to be reproduced as long as it remains unchanged and your name remains on the piece. Master resell rights allow you to resell the piece that you buy from a writer, and to also sell the resale rights to others. This is a right that is sometimes included in Private Label Rights, or PLR. There is no one definition of PLR because the rights sold vary. Check the contract to be sure what rights you are getting.
In general, PLR may or may not include the rights to resell the piece, resell the resale rights, change the content, and claim the content as your own. In the freelance industry, most people will require full rights, meaning that you sell every right to your piece, including the copyright. In some cases you even lose the right to use the piece as a clip to show potential customers, so make sure that you read the contract carefully to be sure, and to ask questions if any terms do not make sense to you.
Please keep in mind that the “poor man’s copyright”, which means mailing your manuscript to yourself, is not legally sound and does not count as registration. The law is there to help protect you and your work so that you can continue to do what you love. Write on, secure in the knowledge that your work is protected, and learn to sell your work with a full understanding of the rights that you sell with it.
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Is Freelance Writing for You?
The field of freelance writing is exciting, but it can also be difficult at times. Like when the inevitable “dry spells” inherent in this industry hit and finding writing gigs is harder. If you plan for these times when writing jobs become leaner, you should be able to ride them out and still pay your bills! Having multiple sources from which you get writing gigs from is a good way to plan for those times when there are less writing assignments available. However, you need to be asking yourself some questions to find out if freelancing is the right choice in career for you before worrying about having enough sources to get writing jobs from to buffer you through dry periods.
● Do you enjoy working alone? If you would miss the camaraderie of working alongside others, freelance writing is not the right choice for you. Aside from interviewing people for some of your writing assignments, as a freelance writer you will be working on your own most of the time.
● Are you a detail-orientated person, who can also follow instructions and guidelines given to you in written form? For the most part, you will receive job descriptions and specifications from clients via fax, email, and instant messaging. You may be able to speak to some clients by phone, though not always. This is an important question to think about because if you need to have a supervisor present to guide you as you work, freelance writing is NOT for you.
●Can you handle the pressure of working under tight deadlines? Clients have deadlines they must meet themselves, and require freelance writers to produce content for them within a specific amount of time in order to meet those deadlines. For some writing assignments, you may have months to complete the project, while the requested turn- around time for other projects may only be a few days to a week.
●Are you organized and can you schedule blocks of uninterrupted time weekly for writing? Organization and scheduling are very important for the following reasons. So that you know what a particular project entails, when it is due, approximately how long it will take you to complete it, and whether you have scheduled yourself enough writing time to get it done to the clients’ specifications, and for delivery to them on time.
●Can you accept the up,-and-down, and even spurts of little freelance writing jobs available for the taking? This is just how the freelance writing jobs ball bounces at times. Freelance writing is quite competitive and many job boards are a FTCFTG or a first to claim, first to get the jobs scenario for writers.
Really asking yourself these questions and answering them honestly, will help you in figuring out whether freelance writing is truly the “right” career choice for you.
After you have given this some careful thought, perhaps I will see you around the freelance writing job boards.
A writing career was definitely the best choice for me. I love to write…I live to write…Getting paid to do it, is just icing on the cake for me.
Please share your comments on this article.
● Do you enjoy working alone? If you would miss the camaraderie of working alongside others, freelance writing is not the right choice for you. Aside from interviewing people for some of your writing assignments, as a freelance writer you will be working on your own most of the time.
● Are you a detail-orientated person, who can also follow instructions and guidelines given to you in written form? For the most part, you will receive job descriptions and specifications from clients via fax, email, and instant messaging. You may be able to speak to some clients by phone, though not always. This is an important question to think about because if you need to have a supervisor present to guide you as you work, freelance writing is NOT for you.
●Can you handle the pressure of working under tight deadlines? Clients have deadlines they must meet themselves, and require freelance writers to produce content for them within a specific amount of time in order to meet those deadlines. For some writing assignments, you may have months to complete the project, while the requested turn- around time for other projects may only be a few days to a week.
●Are you organized and can you schedule blocks of uninterrupted time weekly for writing? Organization and scheduling are very important for the following reasons. So that you know what a particular project entails, when it is due, approximately how long it will take you to complete it, and whether you have scheduled yourself enough writing time to get it done to the clients’ specifications, and for delivery to them on time.
●Can you accept the up,-and-down, and even spurts of little freelance writing jobs available for the taking? This is just how the freelance writing jobs ball bounces at times. Freelance writing is quite competitive and many job boards are a FTCFTG or a first to claim, first to get the jobs scenario for writers.
Really asking yourself these questions and answering them honestly, will help you in figuring out whether freelance writing is truly the “right” career choice for you.
After you have given this some careful thought, perhaps I will see you around the freelance writing job boards.
A writing career was definitely the best choice for me. I love to write…I live to write…Getting paid to do it, is just icing on the cake for me.
Please share your comments on this article.
Page-One of a New Chapter in Writing
A Hearty Welcome to Everyone
My intentions for creating this blog are three-fold. The first of them is for personal and professional reasons.
"I am a writer who needs to have an array of opportunities for expressing my creative side. A blog allows me the freedom to write about what interests me as a writer, and from the perspective of my own unique spirit. "
It also provides a forum for me to show my "creativity, skill, and self" to others I of course, hope that some of those who visit my blog may decide to utilize the broad range of writing services that I can offer to them to meet all of their content needs.
The second reason I decided to start this blog is to build a quality resource space for writers to reference in helping them to achieve their full writing potential as writers. I invite new and established writers, whether they write for the web, or offline, and regardless of whether that writing is for personal or professional purposes, to share in building a wonderful community for writers.
My third intent for this blog is to educate content buyers on the advantages that "unique content" offers for marketing, company and product branding, customer service, and a host of other benefits : that makes the outsourcing of content production to professional freelance web writers and ghostwriters, a slam-dunk for your business success!
Thus with NetWrite, I have opened a new "chapter" in my writing life. I am excited to see how it will all unfold with the passage of time. I would really like you to jump right in and share your passion for the art of writing here with us, and in doing so, impart your writing knowledge on this community. Thank You. I look forward to reading comments from my readers.
Exuberant Writing!
Julie
My intentions for creating this blog are three-fold. The first of them is for personal and professional reasons.
"I am a writer who needs to have an array of opportunities for expressing my creative side. A blog allows me the freedom to write about what interests me as a writer, and from the perspective of my own unique spirit. "
It also provides a forum for me to show my "creativity, skill, and self" to others I of course, hope that some of those who visit my blog may decide to utilize the broad range of writing services that I can offer to them to meet all of their content needs.
The second reason I decided to start this blog is to build a quality resource space for writers to reference in helping them to achieve their full writing potential as writers. I invite new and established writers, whether they write for the web, or offline, and regardless of whether that writing is for personal or professional purposes, to share in building a wonderful community for writers.
My third intent for this blog is to educate content buyers on the advantages that "unique content" offers for marketing, company and product branding, customer service, and a host of other benefits : that makes the outsourcing of content production to professional freelance web writers and ghostwriters, a slam-dunk for your business success!
Thus with NetWrite, I have opened a new "chapter" in my writing life. I am excited to see how it will all unfold with the passage of time. I would really like you to jump right in and share your passion for the art of writing here with us, and in doing so, impart your writing knowledge on this community. Thank You. I look forward to reading comments from my readers.
Exuberant Writing!
Julie
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