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How often do you blog?

It's a valid question for writers and one worth thinking about. Honestly, I used to blog one main story a week - generally my newspaper column that's printed in several weeklies - and I would add a post or two to promote work in other publications.

I didn't have the time to blog daily because- here goes - I feel like I'm spread thin the way it is, so squeezing time to blog every day, plus promote it on social media sites, makes me even more tired.

It's not that I don't want to blog, but I manage a weekly newspaper (which means I write multiple articles a day), I teach journalism classes, and I have family responsibilities. Something has got to give; unfortunately, it looks like it's my blog. I haven't posted anything since the day after Christmas. Yikes!

But I've been thinking, and reading, that a writer's blog is a writer's new form of resume. It showcases your work and in some respects, shows how much time, thought and effort you put into a piece.

It's true. Your blog (or website) is your calling card, your introduction to the world, so you want to make a good first impression. Otherwise, why would you expect an editor or agent to take interest in you and your work?

Looks like my Saturday will be spent updating my resume. What about you?

by LuAnn Schindler

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Okay. I admit it. I've been lazy and unmotivated lately. My playwriting effort has been limited for the most part, to short plays/sketches because they come easy to me and they are also easy to submit to various short play festivals.

While in submission mode and providing an accompanying description as to my background, the thought occurs to me as to whether I should label myself "playwright", having never had a play produced. Is a professionally produced play necessary to give a person who writes plays, "playwright"? Is the mere act of completing a play alright to call ourselves playwrights? Just some thoughts. But I digress.

My playwriting achievements as I've frequently shared here in this blog, are two two-act plays, which have been submitted to perhaps two dozen theatres, a one-act play submitted to six sources, in addition to numerous short-shorts i.e. 10-20 minute and under play-ettes submitted to numerous competitions. They - the plays - are all still waiting for the theatre world to discover them, as is the playwright.

All of this is leading to a very interesting blog passed on by the Playwright's Competition Calendar, a blog to which I'm subscribed, focusing on rejection. Written by Monica Byrne, a writer and playwright, she shares a blog focusing on what she calls, her "anti resume, resume." In it, she lists her rejections and breaks it down further in percentages.

In my case and if a similar exercise was pursued, there would also be a section for started-but-not-completed plays, completed plays languishing in cyber space due to fear of rejection or plays with themes that don't seem to fit theatre's niche.

Excuses thy name is Eleanor but I found Monica's anti-resume somehow comforting. Perhaps playwrights or aspiring playwrights will feel the same way: http://monicacatherine.wordpress.com/2013/08/19/my-anti-resume/

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by Kristen Fischer

Creative professionals may think they do not need a resume when they go solo. After all, you’re not job-hunting anymore. But you are on the hunt for clients.

I know many freelancers—including writers—that believe in this mindset. And they’re right in a way: You’re not a job-hunter anymore, so why have a resume?

The truth is that as a freelance writer, you are a client-hunter; that is, you are always on the lookout for clients, right? And since many of them are companies that follow the traditional hiring model, which includes resumes, there is really no reason not to have one.

While it may be more relevant for a copywriter securing corporate clients to have a resume, it can still be useful for journalists as well. Some writers maintain that they don’t need a resume, but what happens if someone is interested in your services and asks to see a resume? Is it worth it to miss out on what could be a cool opportunity simply because you’re “not corporate” or you’re “only indie” now?

So, how can you put a resume together that adheres to the latest standards and lets your individuality shine through? Here are a few tips for writing a winning resume.

• Ditch the objective. Nowadays, these only are used for recent graduates with little experience. So instead of an objective, use a profile or overview of your skills. A profile is similar to the objective in that you target the specific role you have your eye on, but you talk about what you have to offer instead of what you want.


• Get descriptive. In the profile, I start each sentence with an adjective. Take a peek at my resume for an example.

Innovative copywriter generating sales-boosting marketing collateral that enhances organizational image and cultivates sales. Articulate leader collaborating with clients to devise brochures, website content, sales letters, and newsletters. Detail-oriented editor with exceptional command of the English language; leveraging AMA, AP and Chicago styles to maintain editorial consistency. Esteemed creative professional advancing thriving profession as an author and journalist. 

This gives you the breadth of my experience as a copywriter, author and journalist. It also shows examples of the types of work I do and the goals of those projects, which are to enhance the image of my clients and drive sales for them. Throughout the rest of the resume you would start each statement with a verb—and try not to repeat the same one. For example, many people use the word “create” a lot in the creative field. Instead, try other synonyms such as “originate,” “innovate,” “develop,” “conceptualize,” “generate,” “produce,” or “formulate.”

• Use third-person. A resume should never be written in first-person tone…no matter how unique you are. Use the third-person tone—it sells you better and it’s the standard practice. You may be creative as they come, but a resume that starts with “I am…” shows that you do not understand the norms, and it has the potential to dissuade a corporate client that is looking for someone with a professional image as their outsourced writer.


• Tell your story. Skills-based resumes that lump your experiences together based on your aptitudes are nice, but your profile already tells about your capabilities as they pertain to what you want to do. Let the professional experience tell a chronological story so a client or employer can see how you’ve evolved as a professional. Even if you’ve got some experience that doesn’t relate to your career as a writer, the aptitudes you have gained in previous roles can still position you to thrive as a creative professional. Let’s say you have tons of smaller projects to highlight or maybe some gaps in time—you can still present them under a title of your own business, and use bullets to talk about some of the jobs. Use bullets to break up some of the text; I use set apart achievements with bullet points instead of having job duties and bullet points in either a paragraph or a bulleted list.


• Drop names. A lot of creatives I hear from say that throwing in names of clients makes them feel shallow, but it’s just good self-promotion—and you’re in business for yourself now, so you have to do everything you can to stay there. A Fortune 500 company may want to hire the writer that has worked with a fellow Fortune 500 business as compared to a writer that has only worked for local mom-and-pop stores or only focuses on publishing achievements. If the resume reader sees you’ve worked for a brand they know, they may be more impressed and maybe more likely to hire you.


• Be authentic. Be professional and genuine at the same time. Your resume doesn’t have to be dripping with formal words, but it can still be professional. After all, your resume is a marketing document but it can still show your talents as a creative professional.

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Kristen Fischer is a Certified Professional Resume Writer (CPRW). Her book When Talent Isn’t Enough: Business Basics for the Creatively Inclined is due out in stores this month. Visit www.kristenfischer.com to learn more.

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In a controversial comments thread, one anonymous human resources professional told a writer with a creative writing master’s degree: “I work in HR and master’s degrees often HURT an application more than help, especially in entry level positions.”

Getting an MFA is creative writing or English is an impressive accomplishment, but it’s not always going to be an asset in the real world job hunt. Unless you are looking for a job in teaching, writing or publishing, an MFA could actually be seen as an obstacle to getting an entry level job.

What do you think? Recent graduate Eric Auld decided to run a job-search experiment. He posted a fake entry level job on Craigslist to check out the competition and see how many higher learning folks were applying to these jobs. He received 653 responses in one day.  continued…

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

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When you write an author bio, what you include depends on, well, you.

Bio for Query

Writing a query letter requires a compressed bio of just a couple sentences.
Here, you want to touch on the highlights of your career. I might write:
Published in eight languages, I have books with Greenwillow/Harpercollins, Philomel/Penguin, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt and Sylvan Dell. My website, www.darcypattison.com, has half a million visitors each year.

What if you have no publishing credits or background? Not to worry. Say nothing, unless it directly relates to the manuscript you are submitting. In this case, the manuscript will stand on it’s own, without the ever-so-slight prop of a bio.

Include work history? Probably not, unless it directly relates to your story.
I might write:
The main character is hearing impaired and I hold a Masters Degree in Audiology (doing hearing tests) and have worked for the Arkansas School for the Deaf.

Otherwise, your lips are sealed. Nothing about grandchildren who love your story; nothing about jobs that don’t directly relate; nothing about the newspaper who interviewed you about your invention that has nothing to do with this manuscript. Everything must relate to THIS manuscript. Otherwise–mums the word. Absolutely, no padding.

Expanded Bios

There are times for a longer bio, on your blog or when you send out press releases about your new book, that’s the place to list everything–if you like. For example, when my new picture book Desert Baths (a story about how desert animals take baths) comes out in late August, I’ll be ready with standard bios to send around with the press release.

I try to condense everything into a one-page document, because, really, who will read every word? I keep an updated bio that has a letterhead with all my contact info (email, phone, fax, mailing address), and just print this out and slip into an envelope or attach to an email. If appropriate, sometimes, I’ll take a yellow highlighter and make something jump out. For a picture book submission, I might emphasis that The Journey of Oliver K. Woodman was an honor book for the 2003 Irma S. and James H. Black Picture Book Award from Bank Street College.

Bios, in this sense, aren’t curriculum vitae, which are academic biographies which list all your publications, your speaking engagements, work history academic history, etc.. I keep one of those up to date, but rarely use it because it’s too long to send around easily; if any one asks, though, I’ve got it and don’t have to create it.

What you’re trying to do is establish specific credentials, highlight relevant

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Do you know what a writer's resume looks like? I have a "regular" full-time job but also work as a freelance writer from home. Recently I saw two ads for writing jobs, requiring a resume along with clips and a query leter. Should I include only my writing credits and education? Or should I include my whole employment history even though many of those jobs had nothing to do with writing?

Here's a dilemma freelance writers often face: How do you go about getting a "day job" in the writing or publishing business? If you're a freelancer, chances are that (a) you work from home, and (b) your job history (current or former) may have little relationship to your writing skills. You know that you have the skills to handle a regular writing or editorial position, but how do you convince an employer?

Don't despair: There is an alternative. Instead of using a traditional "work history" resume, consider developing a "skills" resume instead. This type of resume is a perfectly acceptable alternative to the chronological resume, and enables you to focus on the skills and experience that are directly relevant to the job for which you're applying.

Putting Your Credentials First

A skills resume differs from a job-history resume in that it lists your skills and qualifications in a separate section, rather than as a subset of your work history. The basic framework for such a resume might look something like this:

Section 1: Name, address, telephone, fax, e-mail, URL

If you're using a print resume, center these in a larger, attractive (but not too fancy) font, as follows:

Ima Great Writer
123 Quill Pen Rd. • Hometown, CA 94000
(555) 123-4567 • (555) 123-4568 (fax) • e-mail
Great Writings Page • http://www.greatwritings.com

Section 2: Objectives

Optional. If you choose to list your objectives, use no more than two lines here.

Section 3: Qualifications

This is the critical part of your resume. You may want to give this section a more definitive title, such as Writing and Editing Experience. Here, you'll want to list each type of skill that is relevant to the job you're applying for. For example, if the job listing asks for demonstrated writing and editing skills, plus familiarity with Internet publishing and HTML, your "qualifications" section might look something like this:

•    Writing: Professional writer for XX years, with experience in magazine, newspaper, and business writing. Author of XXX articles in XX national publications; co-author of two books; author of three book chapters. Winner of the 1998 "best article" award from the Good Authors' Association. (See attached publications list for details.)
•    Editing: Editor of two electronic newsletters, various corporate and business materials (including reports, white papers, and brochures) and one organizational newsletter. Experienced in copyediting, content editing, and proofreading.
•    Business and Corporate Writing: Developer, writer, editor and designer of a wide range of business materials, including brochures, newsletters, and annual reports. Clients include...
•    Internet, HTML, and Desktop Publishing: Webmaster for the Great Writings Page (http://www.greatwritings.com)

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I just completed a few revisions on my resume. New resume has been posted on my website and will be sent to a couple of publishers this next week.

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Beginning June 25, I'm thrilled to announce that Suzanne Lieurance will be a guest blogger!

Suzanne Lieurance is a former classroom teacher, now a fulltime children’s author, freelance writer, and The Working Writer’s Coach. She teaches children’s writing for the Institute of Children’s Literature based in West Redding, Connecticut, and is the founder and director of the National Writing for Children Center.

Lieurance is the author of 20 published books and has written articles for a variety of magazines, newsletters, and ezines like Family-Fun, Kansas City Weddings, Instructor Magazine, New Moon for Girls, Children’s Writer, and many others. She hosts a talk show about children’s books, called Book Bites for Kids, every weekday afternoon on blogtalkradio.com.

Her daily topics will be:

Part 1 - June 25

GET READY - The Basics of Writing for Children: What You MUST Know Before You Get Started

Part 2 - June 26th

GET SET - How to Build Your Writing Resume Even BEFORE You Start Your Career

Part 3 - June 27th -

GO - How to Start Your Career as a Children's Writer

So, join Suzanne June 25-27...and tell all your friends!



Mary Cunningham Books

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