Did you know it's possible to grow your links TOO fast?

While we all know that link building is one of the key methods of improving search engine rank, acquiring natural looking links isn’t that easy. Google and other search engines are always on the lookout for unnatural links and they can easily penalize your website for unnatural links. Here are a few tips on how to keep your links looking natural.

Vary Anchor Text & Text Surrounding Links

Do you often use the same anchor text and the same description when you are submitting to different directories? If so, you are not fooling anyone. One way to create natural looking links is to vary the keywords used in the links as well as the words surrounding the link. SEO experts have known for years that the words surrounding the link can affect search engine rank.

Also, in addition to using keywords as the anchor text, consider using more generic anchor text such as “this site”, “click here” or “visit this site.” While using generic anchor text may seem unreasonable to SEO experts, it is the most natural way to link to a site.

Distribute Inbound Links

While the majority of inbound links should point to your home page, it isn’t reasonable to have all inbound links pointing to one page. Some of the links should at least point to secondary or inner pages so as to create a more natural link profile. If you are not sure how to distribute the inbound links, follow the 50-50 rule; 50% of the links should go to the home page and the other 50% should be spread all over the site.

Focus on Relevant Links

No link is more natural than a link from a topically related website. For instance, if you operate a medical website, you are better off getting links from medical blogs and medical forums as opposed to a printing company’s website.

Also, whenever possible, try to get a link from the site’s homepage; such links look less suspicious to search engines.

“No Follow” Tags Are Not All Bad

While it is important to get links which do not have the “No Follow” tag, it is also important to have both “No Follow” links and “Do Follow” links. When you have a reasonable mix of both kinds of links, your site is less likely to raise a red flag with Google.

Avoid Sudden Link Growth

One of the most common mistakes in link building is sudden link growth. Let’s face it: It’s not normal for sites to get thousands of back links overnight. Therefore, if you are starting a link building campaign, increase the number of back links to your site gradually by about 50 to 100 links a week. Keep the links coming regularly and avoid unusually long breaks between links; this gives the semblance of a gradual and natural link building process.

Following the above tips can keep your website from being penalized by Google on account of an unnatural link profile. Nonetheless, the rule of thumb in link building is to focus on quality rather than quantity and to steer clear of paid links.

Sam Mauzy is a blogger and contributing writer for Invesp, an agency that helps improve ecommerce conversion rates.

What would YOU put here?

This post’s title is a bit deceiving. I probably shouldn’t have labeled these as my “top” (or even “favorite, had I gone that far) writing quotes, as I’m a bit of a quote whore and love, well, so many.

However, I have at least managed to include only writing quotes.

(Let me tell you, it was tough.)

Nevertheless, these are 10 motivational quotes (in no particular order) that I often turn to when I need a professional or creative boost, my perspective’s a bit out of whack, or I just need to feel connected to someone else.

1. “The most beautiful things are those that madness prompts and reason writes.” – Andre Gide

2. “The drudgery of being a professional writer comes in trying to make good days out of bad days and in squeezing out the words when they won’t just flow.” – Benjamin Cavell (Haven’t we all had days like this?)

3. “No one is asking, let alone demanding, that you write. The world is not waiting with bated breath for your article or book. Whether or not you get a single word on paper, the sun will rise, the earth will spin, the universe will expand. Writing is forever and always a choice – your choice.” – Beth Mende Conny (Pretty much applicable to everyone but J.K. Rowling.)

4. “Writing is a struggle against silence.” – Carlos Fuentes

5. “Talent is helpful in writing, but guts are absolutely essential.” – Jessamyn West

6. “The difference between the right word and the almost right word is the difference between lightning and a lightning bug.” – Mark Twain

7. “What I like in a good author isn’t what he says, but what he whispers.” – Logan Pearsall Smith

8. “I dip my pen in the blackest ink, because I am not afraid of falling into my inkpot.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

9. “Words – so innocent and powerless as they are, as standing in a dictionary, how potent for good and evil they become in the hands of one who knows how to combine them.” – Nathaniel Hawthorne

10. “How vain is it to sit down to write when you have not stood up to live.” – Henry David Thoreau (Now, go do something.)

How about YOU? Do any of these quotes about writing resonate with you? Or, do you have a few of your own favorite writing quotes you’d like to share?

What's tweetin'?

QUESTION:

Dear Alicia,

After about six months of freelancing (part-time – haven’t made the full-time plunge yet), I finally signed up for a Twitter account.

I read your post on Twitter taboos writers must avoid, but my questions is:

What should I tweet about?

So far, I just pass along interesting links, retweet others, and throw out the occasional bit of information about myself or my day.

I’m not really sure if any of it affects my follower count in any meaningful way just yet (I seem to gain and lose like anyone else), so I don’t know if I’m on the right path or not.

Thanks,

Sharon

ANSWER:

Hey Sharon,

Well, so far, it sounds like you’re doing just fine. Of course, ultimately it depends on your Twitter goals. Do you want to use Twitter like a watercooler? Would you rather network? Keep touch with current and past clients, and reach out to potential ones?

Because I don’t know your exact goals, I can’t give you an exact answer – well, not one that’s tailored to those goals, anyway. However, I can help you with some ideas for writer tweets:

1. Share interesting links. Sounds like you have this one down pat. Just make sure the links are relevant to your interests. Don’t sling out a bunch of links just because a bunch of people might find the stories interesting. If you don’t find them interesting, you’ve got a bunch of followers with whom you probably have nothing in common.

NOTE: If you’re not really sure where to find interesting articles to tweet (or retweet), try starting with some of the movers and shakers in your field that you admire most. For example, I tweet a lot of @copyblogger, @problogger, @AnneWayman, @queryfreewriter, @WritersDigest, and @EntMagazine. Check out their blogs and share interesting posts or tweets with your followers.

2. Retweet. Not only is it just plain nice, but also it shows the people you follow that you’re paying attention and the people who follow you that you’re not a self-absorbed snot. Plus, it makes your Twitter feed look much more interesting than just row after row of your own user picture.

3. Talk about yourself. Really, do. I can’t stand Twitter accounts with nothing but links, retweets, and self-promotional crap. Every now and then, it’s okay to tell me that it’s raining, or you’re working outside, or that extra piece of cake might’ve seriously set back your diet. Hell, tweet the YouTube link to a new-to-you song or a picture of your dog looking up scornfully from his bubble bath. I won’t hold it against you, and any writers who delete you because of it clearly only want writing-related material in their feeds and you’re too interesting for that.

4. Show some #WW and #FF love. #WW (or #writerwednesday) is a great way to meet new writers and share writer-specific stories. Sure, you can do this any day of the week, but saving it for #WW is fun. ## (or #followfriday) is the original version, and open to everyone. Writers often use #FF for the same purposes as #WW.

5. Participate. Hashtags are great ways for writers to interact with one another – or even just other folks who share the same interests. Try #amwriting, Johanna Harness’s creation to keep an ongoing conversation among writers who’re currently – that’s right – writing. Or, take a look at the current trending topics. Click one that sounds interesting, find out what it’s about, and retweet something relevant or come up with your own related tweet.

Hope these ideas help, Sharon! Maybe some readers will chime in with additional suggestions.

P.S. You also might want to check out Ask Alicia: Writers And Social Media, where I help Andy determine whether he should have separate social media accounts for personal and professional use, or just one of each – period.

UPDATE: After originally posting this “Ask Alicia” column, I ran into Jennifer Mattern’s How To Use (And Not Use) Twitter To Find Freelance Writing Jobs, and I highly recommend checking it out.

Image Credit: Twitter

Or, at least resources where you can find tips.

Guest blog posts are beneficial for both the blog owner and the guest blogger.

Blog owners can harness the expertise of other bloggers (as well as take a break from writing!), and guest bloggers can spread their knowledge and build website traffic for themselves.

Below are five resources you can use (I checked them myself) to contact blog owners, pitch your awesome guest post idea, and promote the hell out of your guest blog.

• 7 Steps To Writing A Successful Guest Post: Learn the importance of submission guidelines, following up with the blog owners, and promoting blogs. (Coincidentally, this is a guest post Jeff Goins submitted to Michael Hyatt’s blog!)
• How To Write A Killer Guest Post: The Art Of The Clickthrough: Mike Holman explains three important factors to consider when you write a guest post.
• 6 Powerful Guest Post Tactics That No One’s Talking About: Another guest blog. During this one for Problogger, Tom Ewer highlights important factors to consider – like relevance, quality, and engagement – when guest posting on blogs to get blog traffic.
• Top 10 Tips For Guest Bloggers: Susan Gunelius of About.com’s Blogging topic provides tips on steps to take before you even pitch your guest post idea to the blog owner.
• 7 Crucial Tactics For Writing A Wildly Successful Guest Post: The Blog Tyrant (what’s his real name?!) explains to Copyblogger readers seven ways to make sure guest posts “direct the flow of traffic toward your desired outcome or target.” This could mean anything from increasing website traffic to getting readers over to your information product’s sales page.

Looking for ways to get start writing guest posts or finding guest bloggers? Check out My Guest Blog.

BONUS RESOURCE!

Tania Dakka, the Freelance Writing Project Master, suggested Ghostwriter Dad’s The Ultimate Guide To Guest Blogging For Writers (and he ain’t lyin’, folks – it’s PACKED with information!).

Any tips or resources you’d add to the list?

Stick it! Heh, heh.

So, are you using Pinterest yet?

For your freelance writing business, I mean?

I’ll admit I’m not, but that’s only because I didn’t think Pinterest offered any benefits to writers.

Frankly, I thought Pinterest was a cutesy form of social media that I would so totally get into and waste a million hours using…

…just as soon as I found a free minute to sign up.

Boy, was I wrong.

• Pinterest Secrets For Writers: About.com’s Allena Tapia shares 10 (quite different) ways writers can use Pinterest.
• Pinterest Tips For Writers: Similarly, GalleyCat’s Jason Boog lists five ways writers can use Pinterest – only he focuses more on novelists than freelance writers.
• Pinterest For Writers: Writer Sara Toole Miller shares the pinboards she’s created related to writing and editing.
• The Writer’s Guide To Pinterest: Susan Johnson over at the Ebyline Blog lists several ways writers can use Pinterest, from crowdsourcing ideas to building a platform – complete with current user experiences.
• 3 Ways Authors Can Use Pinterest Guilt Free: Author Media’s Caitlin Muir explains three ways authors can use Pinterest for inspiration, traffic, and character development, but I feel some of her information applies to freelance writers, too.
• Visualizing With Pinterest: Pubmission’s Wolf Hoelscher offers a Wednesday Writing Exercise for authors to revisit scenes they’ve already written and apply Pinerest to add depth and clarity to those scenes. Could copywriters use Pinterest in the same way? I think so.
• Pinterest And Your Website Content: Erika Napoletano explains how Pinterest can drive more traffic than YouTube, Google+, and LinkedIn combined – and why this is important to your business.
• 5 Ways Brands Can Leverage Pinterest Now: TechCrunch oulines five ways businesses can use Pinterest to boost brand visibility and connect with customers and potential customers.
• 56 Ways To Market Your Business On Pinterest: WHOOOOAAAAAA Copyblogger. You always go above and beyond, and I love you.
• Pinterest For Business? Only If You Love Pinning: Finally, Sarah Prout reminds us that, in the end, Pinterest is only useful for business purposes – including freelance business purposes – if we align it with our brands.

So, how about you, writers? Are you using or considering using Pinterest in your freelance writing business? If so, how? If not, why?

Look at Owen, being all distressed and sad. Get over it!

QUESTION:

Dear Alicia,

I’ve never told any of my “online friends” (or any of my clients), but I work part time at a bar-and-grill restaurant in addition to working as a freelance writer.

I manage to keep up my “professional” facade online (I even keep my personal and writing social media sites separate), but I feel like a phoney.

How can I feel more like a “real” writer while I still have a part-time job waiting tables? Also, should I keep my day job a secret from writing clients?

Owen

ANSWER:

Are you serious?

Owen, Owen, Owen.

First of all, you ARE a phoney. For as long as you keep living two lives, keeping secrets, and using freaking quotation marks around words like professional and real (seriously, what’s up with that?), you will be a phoney.

Second of all, your realness – your authenticity as a professional writer – isn’t determined by whether you do it full-time. Not all freelance writers write full-time.

Sometimes a freelancer will:

• Have a “day job,” or a job she keeps to have health insurance, to pay the bills until they’re financially comfortable freelancing full-time,
• Work a part-time job because it gets him out of the house or satisfies some other passion, like working with animals.
• Work varied hours because he or she has small children at home.

The reasons are plentiful.

You didn’t mention why you have a part-time job and work as a freelance writer, but that’s not the issue here. The issue is helping you determine what sets apart professional and unprofessional/amateur/hobbyist freelance writers.

Abilities Professional Writers Must Have

There’s pretty much no wiggle room on this one. You must have certain abilities to be a professional writer. They include, but aren’t limited to, being able to:

• Know the language. Don’t apply for an English-Spanish translation gig if your only credit is one high school semester of Spanish.
• Produce the kind of writing you’re hired to produce. Example: Writing Web copy isn’t the same as writing magazine articles.
• Use proper grammar and spell correctly. Spell check will carry you only so far.
• Research. How are you supposed to write about an unfamiliar topic if you don’t know how to effectively research it?
• Communicate clearly with clients, editors, and leads.

Don’t worry. Having the ability to do something doesn’t necessarily mean you were born with it or were surrounded by it all your life. You can learn these things.

Skills Successful Freelancers Should Have

Like abilities, you can learn and master skills.

• Manage your taxes.
• Market your services.
• Handle administrative work. Examples include following up with leads, tracking queries, and paperwork like freelance writing resumes, contracts, and invoices.
• Make productive use of downtime.
• Understand basic technology and programs, like computers and Microsoft Word.

Personality Traits Many Freelance Writers Do Have

Personality traits are a bit trickier…

There are certain traits successful professional freelancers have; some are necessary, others you can work around.

• Passion. Love what you do, even during those times when you hate it.
• Organization. Know how to prioritize, set and stick to a schedule, and .
• Independence. Be comfortable working alone and taking initiative.
• Persistence. Don’t get easily discouraged.
• Assuredness. Treat – and present – yourself as a professional.

These are not an exhaustive lists, by any means. Some readers might add their own bits of advice, and you’ll undoubtedly discover a few things as you continue freelancing.

Oh, and to answer your second question: You don’t have to tell your clients anything about your life that’s unrelated to the services you provide them.

So, what say YOU, readers? What abilities, skills, and personality traits have you found freelance writers need?

This post is part of the Ask Alicia series at WritingSpark.com. Learn more, check out some other columns, or shoot me an e-mail directly at alicia [at] writingspark [dot] com (or click here) with “Ask Alicia” in the subject line to ask your own question.

I edited this image with Pixlr...all but the resizing, that is.

Just in case you haven’t heard, come April 19 Google is getting rid of Picnik.com.

Although Picnik.com was/is/seemed to be a ridiculously popular free photo editor website, Google has decided to trim some fat, and apparently Google+ already includes a built-in basic photo editor.

It’s not all miserable – from now until April 19, users with free or no accounts can use the site’s premium services, free of charge, and paying members will receive full refunds.

Still, it sucks a little. I’ve relied on Picnik for quiet a while – both professionally for tweaking and resizing photos for blogs and personally for having a field day with all the user-friendly effects. During Free Tools For Freelance Writers: Article, Website, And Blog Images (Day 3 of my Free Tools for “Freelance Writers: Save BIG While Starting Your Writing Business” mini course), I even listed Picnik.com as the one-stop shop for writers in need of a free photo editor.

So…now what?

Well, I did some digging around and found a few alternatives:

• Picasa: Picasa is Google’s free photo editor software. It requires a download (to date, you must have Windows XP, Vista, or Windows 7), but it has some basic video editing options, too.
• LunaPic: This free online photo editor lets you upload pictures from your computer or pull them from sites like Facebook and Flickr.
• Photoscape: Photoscape is another free photo editing software. It’s regularly updated and boasts numerous options.
• FotoFlexer: FotoFlexer claims to be “the world’s most advanced online image editor,” and to its credit it does offer a variety of effects, fonts, shapes, doodling, and retouching. You don’t have to download anything, and you can edit photos from Facebook, Flickr, MySpace (?!), your Picasa Web Album, and Photobucket.
• Pixlr: You can use Pixlr online, as a download, on Facebook, as a Chrome web app, and on your iOS or Andriod device. Bad news? The online version doesn’t seem to have an option to resize photos. Still, if you’re looking for great effects, it’s bookmark worthy.
• befunky: befunky requires no registration or downloads, offers a whole bunch of effects, graphics to add, and frames and borders – and you can resize photos with it.

How about YOU, dear readers? Do you use some other free photo editor? Or, have you had any good or back experiences with any of the software or websites above? Share!.

I wouldn’t say writing book reviews is a lucrative business, by any means (well, unless you’re employed by a major magazine or newspaper and book reviews are like, your job – which could totally happen).

However, they are great ways to get published, a chance to do two of your favorite things (reading and writing!), and fun!

1. Get a Platform

So, you’re writing a book review. Where will it go once you’ve written it? How will people read it?

Consider:

• Your blog. You can publish anything you want on your blog. Why not publish a well-written book review to drive traffic, gain experience, and build up some clips?
• Others’ blogs. Maybe you write a blog for another company and ran across a book that fits the niche. Or, maybe you know of a blogger who’d be open to a guest post of your book review.
• Newspapers. Does your local newspaper have an entertainment section for book reviews? Are you feeling frisky and want to give querying a bigger, national newspaper a shot?
• Magazines. Consider local, state-, and nationwide magazines. Just keep in mind most magazines create their editorial calendars waaaaaaay in advance, so don’t query a magazine in October expecting to get published in November.
• Journals. Literary journals are a bit lower key, so no one’s going to laugh if you’re not familiar with any – I promise. Try googling “literary journal book review” and see what strikes your fancy.

2. Get a Book

Writers get books to review in a variety of ways:

• Buy the book. Starting out, some of you may have to go this route, especially if you’re trying to shop the review to a newspaper, magazine, or journal.
• Get offered the book. Once you gain some visibility as a writer (especially if you own or manage a blog in the niche), publishing and media companies will begin contacting you about review the book. You might even get interview offers. This is how I land most of my books for reviews and interviews, including my review of Vanity Fair contributing editor Ned Zeman’s memoir, The Rules of the Tunnel: My Brief Period of Madness, and my interview with former White House physician, Dr. Connie Mariano regarding her memoir The White House Doctor: My Patients Were Presidents.
• Ask for the book. There’s no shame in it. When a book catches your eye, shoot an e-mail to the publishing or media company and ask for an advance copy for review. (Introduce yourself, of course, and let the recipient know when and where the review will be published.) This is how I got my copy of Karen Gravano’s memoir, Mob Daughter: The Mafia, Sammy “The Bull” Gravano, and Me!, for an upcoming Celebrity Psychings review.

3. Write the Review

Check out some of these helpful sites for writing a book review:

• How To Write a Book Review (from e-notes.com).
• Writing A Book Review (from Purdue Online Writing Lab).
• Writing Book Reviews (from Indiana University’s Writing Tutorial Services)
• Tips For Successful Book Reviewing (from journalist, teacher, and author Rebecca Skloot).
• How To Write A Book Review (from writing-world.com…wait, didn’t we already have this title? ).

Before you begin writing the review, remember to:

• Give yourself plenty of time. It’s simple: Don’t start on your book review the night before you tell your readers or editor you’ll have it finished.
• Be honest. You might think you feel one way about the book, but discover you feel quite another way after you start writing the review. GO WITH IT. If you fight against that feeling in an attempt to stick to your original plan all neat-and-tidy like, you risk presenting an artificial- and forced-sounding review.
• Study book reviewers you admire. Read any book reviews that caught your eye lately? Perhaps one in the New York Times or Washington Post? Maybe one in a smaller literary journal or even favorite magazine’s monthly book review feature. Don’t be a copycat, by any means, but do figure out what it is about those reviews you like and make sure your review includes – or even makes better – those elements.
• Consider alternative formats. You don’t have to actually write a book review. You could record one. Consider a video book review, or even a podcast.
• Check out what others have to say about the book. Not only will it keep you from repeating the same ol’ same ol’, but reading (or listening to) what others have written (or said) about the book can give you a jumping off point, something you can challenge, or a point or two with which you can agree or disagree.

How about you, readers? Are any of you experienced with writing book reviews? Any tips or tricks you can offer?

See? She forgot to include the deadline. We'll just claim she took too long. MUAHAHAHA!

QUESTION:

Hi Alicia!

I love your Ask Alicia posts. So I have one for you I have my first face-to-face prospective meeting coming up. Should I have a contract for them to sign? Or are verbal agreements the way to go. If I should have them sign a contract, what should it indicate?

Thanks so much for your time!

Tania

ANSWER:

Hey Tania!

First, I advise always using a written contract and never relying on a verbal contract with any client – even if you’re friends with the potential client.

(The two times I’ve gone the verbal route were the only two times I got burned – the first time, I didn’t get paid for four months, and the second time I was only paid 20% of what the client owed me. I lost $1,200. NEVER AGAIN.)

Second, don’t sweat having a contract to give them during the meeting. Unless you’ve already hammered out the details with the prospective clients (and I’m guessing you haven’t – what else would you be discussing during this first meeting, after all?), you won’t have anything to put on a contract just yet.

During your meeting, you and the clients will discuss the project. Some of these things can be plugged into a master contract (such as the deadline, your hourly rate or the project’s flat fee, and by what date the client must pay you), but some of them aren’t so easily plugged in (such as project details and information about revisions).

So, go to the meeting with a pen and paper in hand (or laptop – whatever you prefer) and a readiness to discuss all these issues with the clients. Once you all discuss and agree on each aspect of the project (and you’ve taken ample notes), you can mail, e-mail, fax, or hand deliver the contract to them at a later date.

As for the particulars of the contract, I highly recommend bookmarking and referring back to the following pages as you begin navigating the world of contract preparations.

• Do You Need a Contract for Freelance Work?
• Freelance Contracts: Do’s & Don’ts
• Freelance Writing: How to Write a Contract
• 7 Tips for Negotiating a Freelance Contract
• Sample Freelance Writing Contract (I don’t know Lee, but I’ve loved this sample since I first found and bookmarked it.)
• Tips for Freelance Contracts (I do know Kristen, have consulted with her on other freelance writing projects before, and will vouch for her overall awesome know-how.)

Good luck with your meeting Tania, and thanks!

This post is part of the Ask Alicia series at WritingSpark.com. Learn more, check out some other columns, or shoot me an e-mail directly at alicia [at] writingspark [dot] com (or click here) with “Ask Alicia” in the subject line to ask your own question.

What if creative writers wrote only with colored pencils?

Under the Day 2: Creating An Online Presence lesson of my Free Tools For Freelance Writers mini course, reader Dave asked if the same kinds of tools I listed for creating an online presence for freelance writers apply to creative writers as well.

If you don’t remember, for freelance writers I suggested using tools like blogs, websites, and article distribution sites (think Ezine Articles and Hub Pages) for developing an online presence.

However, for creative writers working on materials like short stories, poems, and novels, I’d suggest a different list of tools and methods for creating an online presence…

…actually, for creative writers, I think creating an online presence and getting one’s name out there go hand-in-hand. Similar to freelance writers, creative writers must recognize the power of networking, and some of these ideas help with that.

1. Blogs and Websites

In this day and age, you need a blog or website – no matter what kind of writer you are. For freelance writers, having this home base allows prospective clients and customers to view their work, rates, and contact information; for creative writers, it gives fans, editors, and publishers a way to view their stories, get a taste of their writing style, and overall learn more about the author whose stories they’re reading.

Check out Creating An Online Presence to learn more about creating a free blog (or an inexpensive website).

2. Social Media

With social media like Facebook and Twitter, not only can you build a following or fan base, but you can network with other creative writers and find out how they’re getting their names out there.

3. Creative Writing Groups

Creative writing groups do more than just get the creative juices flowing and allow you a place to brag, rant, and bounce ideas off other writers. These groups are also packed with writers who know things you don’t, and who are looking for information you have.

You can find creative writers groups in a variety of forms:

• E-mail groups, such as Yahoo! Groups.
• Facebook groups.
• Groups affiliated with writing- or reading-related websites, like the numerous creative writing groups over at goodreads.com
• Message boards and forums.
• Offline groups, such as those at your local library or college.

Can’t find a group that resonates with you? Start your own! “Founder of Super Cool Creative Writing Group” sounds pretty snazzy on a resume.

4. Writing Contests

Winning, placing in, or receiving honorable mentions for writing contests definitely helps create an online presence (if the contest holder posts winners online), get your name out in the writing community, and – depending on the contest’s host – it could even dangle your name in front of editors and publishers.

Not sure where to start? Check out 10 Website For Finding Writing Contests.

5. Post Your Work

Numerous websites exist for the sole purpose of hosting authors’ short stories, essays, poems, and other types of creative writing. You can post to these sites, have others read (and sometimes critique) your work, and direct potential editors and publishers to your entries.

To get started, check out:

• AuthorsDen.com
• Writing.com
• The Next Big Writer (To date, requires a membership fee to become a writing member.)
• storywrite
• OpenFiction
• Booksie (Cutest name ever.)
• goodreads (Currently probably one of the most popular places to promote your books, and supports both traditionally and self-published books.)

How about you, readers? Do you have experience with any of those suggestions? Any success or horror stories to share? How about additional ideas?