Ravensong Poetry And Writing Blog by Donovan Baldwin

BY DONOVAN BALDWIN

Labels: donovan baldwin, essay, writer, writing

By Donovan Baldwin

Why do I write?

Why does anyone write?

They have, they believe, something to say.

Right?

Well, for a "non-writer", that may be sufficient, but, the word "writer" is a slippery devil. It, of course, can be used to define anyone who takes up pen (or keyboard) and... well... writes.

Something!

Anything!

I have written standard operating procedures which were published and distributed to several sections of a military facility... made the "law of the land", if you will. Still, that, to ME did NOT feel like "writing".

Now, when I write poems, or even small screeds such as this one, I am, to my mind, a writer. In this writing, I am turning loose what a lady named Subi Nanthivarman so delightfully refers to as her "Writing Genie", or, apparently, "WG" to friends and coworkers.

Wonderful concept for me.

That weird little thing in my brain (in my case a Leprechaun-like creature), that has things to say and insists on sharing them with its human host in this symbiotic relationship. I don't control it, nor it me, yet, when it asks for pen or keyboard, I must comply.

For me, THAT is when I, with the aid of my faithful side-kicker, become a writer.

Why do I write?

Because as an obedient servant to the creature within, I must obey its demands or suffer the consequences.

Labels: donovan baldwin, poem, Subi Nanthivarman, writer, writing

By: Donovan Baldwin

Someone used the word "ethereal" about me recently.

Wow!

Oh, I CAN do "ethereal", and, often, I have sweepingly poetic and romantic moments that DO take me to faraway lands not yet conceived by man. However, I'm actually, despite the poetic, romantic, and, admission here, sometimes erotic, side, I'm essentially a down to earth kind of guy.

Yet while living on the surface of the big blue ball, and aware of its sometimes unpleasant, even dangerous, realities, and, dealing with my own many daily obligations, as a caregiver for disabled family members, my mind DOES take flight from time to time, and wanders around some made up universe, usually based, at least loosely, on this one... but, populated with the people I want to be there and decorated in the manner I choose.

Often, despite usually being stuck on the second floor of my daughter's home in Texas with a view of only a portion of the street below, I am able, in my mind, to find myself in a whitewashed Mediterranean villa, overlooking the sea, surrounded by colorful flowers, serenaded by birdsong and breeze, amid beautiful art, including lots of Greek statuary, writing thoughts and poetry, as I sip coffee in the morning, wine in the evening, with my one true love nearby.

Me? Ethereal?

Yeah! I guess so.

Labels: donovan baldwin, erotic, Mediterranean, poet, poetic, romantic, writer

By Donovan Baldwin

Here's a comment for the "wannabe writers" out there. For every post of mine you see, there are several that have been deleted before I hit "post", or saved somewhere else. For poets? I have about five poems in various stages at this moment. One was started a day or two ago, two were started today, one is about a month old, and the other has been driving me crazy since 2005. I have been published. I can honestly say "I am a published author."

I cannot say I've ever been paid.

You know, that part does not mean a thing to me. "I write, therefore I am." Or, perhaps, "I am, therefore I write." When I stop writing, I am NOT anymore. When I am NOT anymore, I stop writing. People will pay you for certain things you write and for certain forms of writing, but, a writer writes because he or she must write. It is as much a part of my, our, existence as eating, breathing, or making babies. It is an ecstatic thing. I find it almost Freudian, that, a lot of times, when I type, "write", my fingers type "writhe" as if in passion.

Gotta have it. Gotta do it. Gotta love it. Gotta take a cold shower now.

Labels: article by Donovan Baldwin, writer, writing

The following poem, is by Canadian poet and writer, Kelli Gunn.

Kelli has recently earned a Master's degree in English Literature from Acadia University. Kelli has been a lifelong poet and writer and most recently, her micro-fiction, "Gifts," won the Vox 2015 Best Short Fiction entry in the University of New Brunswick's annual student art journal.

A native of Nova Scotia, Canada, she studied creative writing at Kwantlen Polytechnic University in Langley, British Columbia, but has since returned to the east coast where she works and resides with her two children in Saint John, New Brunswick.

You can see more of Kelli's poems and other writing at Lit for Life".

Like Before

Craving again to
feel assured
in the way
your arms provide
at the exact moment
your eyes rest on
mine
no thought for the room
surrounding me
in affirmations
leaving room for no
hesitations
leaping from doubt
to thought and
covering all
with words that
glide on my skin
like a leaf
drifting
on water

Copyright 2016: Kelli Gunn

Labels: Canadian poet, creative writing, Kelli Gunn, poem, poet, poetry, romantic poem, romantic poetry, writer

I love to travel. In 21 years in the army and eight more as a truck driver, I got to travel quite a bit. I am also a writer and love to write. In fact, I have combined the two a little bit and have a travel website myself!

If you love to travel, and love to write, what could be more natural than becoming a travel writer?
===================

How Can I Become a Travel Writer?
By Aurelio Jerrison

Travel. Write. Like chocolate and peanut butter, it's two great things that go great together. So how can you become a professional, and what kind of travel writer jobs are available? To begin with, know that the competition for positions is stiff. Many excellent writers compete for articles and travel writer jobs. Most of the work available will be freelance and commissioned pieces, rather than a salaried position, so you will need to sell yourself for each piece. By developing your unique voice as a writer, you can differentiate yourself from the competition for writing jobs.

To that end, one of the most effective tools is a good website. Having a website with your work on it, together with photos you've taken if available, is an excellent showcase for your portfolio. Although there are professional travel writing courses available, and they can help you refine your style, the most successful way to get more writing jobs is to do more writing. Demonstrating your talents is essential.

Your online portfolio should have several diverse articles on it, with a definite voice. A regularly updated blog is an asset to any site. Consider your strengths and how they can be emphasized in the writing. For example, if you are a chef or a foodie, perhaps an article comparing the cuisine in two neighboring countries (or the north and the south of a single country) can highlight how discerning you are. There is a large demand for adventure writing, so if you have participated in any daredevil expeditions, it is a good idea to include an article on them.

When you have established your portfolio, begin researching places to sell your work. Newspapers, books, magazines and online sources are all target markets for a travel writer. Most book work is reserved for established writers, so those new to the field should concentrate on the other areas. Online magazines publish the most work from unknown writers and can raise your name in searches. Research those sources that publish general travel writing, and also those with a niche: in the previous example of a chef travel writer comparing cuisines, a food-focused magazine would be a good target. Keep clear, detailed records of when and to whom you've pitched your work at each source. You should have a clear angle that you are suggesting to the editor and be confident that you have the time and resources to follow through.

Most travel publications will not advance money for expenses, so be prepared to support yourself while you conduct the research. With time and experience, a successful career in travel writing is possible.

Aurelio writes for Writing Jobs, a top online resource connecting qualified candidates with thousands of opportunities, like travel writer jobs.

Article Source: How Can I Become a Travel Writer?
=================
At Home Writing Jobs

Labels: travel, travel writer, writer, writing travel articles

FACT: Writing web content is one of the easiest ways to make money online.

Why is this so?

1.) Writers are in high demand. If you know where to look, native English speakers who can follow simple instructions can easily start out at ten bucks an article. In six months or less, you should be able to raise your rate to fifteen dollars or more. And with just a little practice, you'll be able to write an article every 20 or 30 minutes--how does $30-$45 per hour sound?

The Internet marketing crowd is the core market that's looking for writing services. 99% of their business models require constant, fresh content for their web sites. And most of them have learned their lesson from outsourcing to India for five bucks an article.

You do need to be able to write like you talk (forget your English classes as they likely did more harm than good in this department!). Aside from that, all you'll need is a good attitude and the ability to set and meet deadlines.

(Clients will take a solid writer who is easy to work with over a difficult-but-brilliant writer any day. Keep a good attitude and don't get flowery with your writing, and you'll be good as gold.)

2.) Content writing is a sustainable business. Unless every English-speaking nation on the planet suddenly gives up capitalism, you are assured web-writing work for as long as you want it. Why?

The short answer is that the web isn't going away any time soon! The long answer is that more and more people are doing their shopping and socializing on the web as time goes on. And this trend isn't likely to reverse itself.

Simply put, more and more commerce is moving from the offline world to the online world. Even the present online economy can support more good writers than it currently has. What's even better is that it will only need more writers in the future!

3.) You don't even need to know how to make a website--or anything else technical. You don't need to be able to program a computer to advertise yourself online. In fact, you don't even need to know basic HTML! There are several FREE online services you can use to create an online web presence that shows your writing abilities.

Sites like Squidoo, Blogger, and Facebook offer no-cost, cut-and-past ways for you to network and advertise your services. You don't need any special skills to use them--if you can use Microsoft Word, you can build a page at any or all of these sites.

If you decide you want your own .com (and eventually, you will), you'll pay about nine bucks a year for the name and seven dollars a month for hosting.

Sites like Hostgator.com come complete with several different programs that let you easily build a templated website in an afternoon--without any technical knowledge at all. The only things you really need to learn are how to market yourself, and where to find clients.

Learn more about: The Content Chef - How to Make Money Online as A Content Writer

Labels: content, content writer, make money online, make money writing, writer

By Avril Harper

Writers specialising in fillers and readers' letters receive much high fees, word for word, than virtually any other writing genre. Fillers are small pieces, often just 100 words or so, and they can generate hundreds or even thousands of dollars in writing awards or for what editors pick as the week's best letter or filler. But writers have to be constantly on the lookout for unusual subjects for their fillers and they must always be hot on market research. These tips will help grow your income from filler writing:

* Keep your eyes and ears open for anything remotely interesting to use in your letters and fillers. Look for unusual household tips, try your hand at writing poems, look for press errors and other popular filler types.

* Study other published fillers, especially those in magazines you'd like to write for. You can't, of course, copy other people's work but there is no copyright on ideas, so what you see in one magazine can be borrowed to form the basis of a filler you write for another. Other things to watch out for include recipes, jokes you can change a little, recipes you might alter slightly, crossword and puzzle grids you can adapt to use in your work.

* Study at least a dozen or so publications of the type you would like to write for. Rank these in order of preference, according to filler types, payment, subject matter. Start writing and submitting material for those highest on your list.

* Think pictures. Think illustrations. Instead of sending just words to your target publication, include a photograph, maybe a cartoon or line drawing. As always, careful study of your target magazine will establish editorial preferences.

* Search your own experiences for material ready to be written up as it stands or amended to suit.

* Always have a notepad and pen at hand, and preferably a pocket camera and mini recorder. It's amazing where inspiration and ideas strike and how often there is nothing handy to record the incident. My best ideas come when I'm in the bath, ironing, gardening, or walking the dog! Those notepads pinned to every wall and popped into my handbag have repaid their cost many times over!

Once that's done you can look forward to regular high rewards for just a few minutes' easy work.

Avril Harper is a highly successful freelance writer and the author of HOW TO BE A FIVE MINUTE WRITER

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Avril_Harper http://EzineArticles.com/?Freelance-Writers---
Claim-High-Rewards-For-Precious-Little-Effort&id=1884265

How to Write Fillers, Writing, Poetry

Labels: copy writing, freelance, how to write fillers, online, writer