Introducing Suzie Eller’s New COMPEL Course on Freelancing!
Years ago I decided I wanted to be a freelance writer. I longed to write and also make an income. That led to a nearly 20-year career of writing columns, paying blog posts, curriculum, and articles. The word “freelance”...
Continue Reading Abusing the Exclamation Point
As a writer, the exclamation point is a lot like jalapeños. One or two in a dish is delightful for it adds spice and flavor. However, if you drown the entire dish in them, it overwhelms and potentially...
Continue Reading One “I” Word to Avoid
I received a manuscript a couple of years ago from a writer friend. She was warm and funny in person, so I looked forward to reading her words. However, within a couple of pages, I put it down....
Continue Reading Three Ways to Recycle Old Blog Posts
Recently I went through my old blog posts. Some of them were barely viewed since they were posted when I first started my blog nearly ten years ago. As I looked through the posts, some were definite throwaways. However,...
Continue Reading Compelling Content and Design for Your Blog
A writing friend asked me to visit her blog. I was excited because I loved her writing. When I clicked on the URL she sent, I was surprised to find a series of long blog posts written in blocks...
Continue ReadingThree Tips to Keep Writing During the Holidays (and a COMPEL Challenge and giveaways!)
Happy Thanksgiving from COMPEL Training! Can you believe the holidays are already upon us? It’s amazing how fast a year goes by! If there’s one thing I know about the holiday season, it’s how easy it is to let our...
Continue Reading Writing for Take-Home Papers
The take-home paper market is often overlooked by writers, and yet the opportunity is huge. Consider the colorful Sunday school paper your children receive at church. Think about the adult publication filled with inspirational stories, teaching, and faith-filled facts handed...
Continue Reading Beating the Rejection Blues
When you receive a rejection from a magazine editor, you may toss your query or article in the trash. After all, if the editor didn’t like it, why bother? You might be surprised...
Continue Reading Develop the Habit of Meeting a Word Count
Have you ever seen the movie where the writer bangs his head against the wall while a white, empty computer screen flashes in the background? We can run into the same frustration if we...
Continue Reading Finding Your Writing Voice
What is a writing voice? It's how you write your words. Hemingway sounds different than Grisham. Voskamp sounds different than TerKeurst. You sound different than the writer sitting next to you. The problem is that we often try to...
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