Write Livelihood

I love words. I also love to write and edit copy, and I do it well. But not everybody does, and for those who don't (whether they know it or not) there are people like me - freelance word nerds who are more than happy to do other people's writing for them in exchange for the traditional levy of material goods and economic whuffie.

This lens is the hub for my writing gig and other related activities. I don't have a website yet for my writing and may not need one - I'm also using this as an experiment in alternative cyberfronts. Plus, my writing activities are each taking rather eccentric and disparate paths and might make for uncomfortable bedfellows on a standard site. But given the format of lenses, it actually makes sense to collect it all here.

So, welcome to my writerly lair! I'm just getting started and will be adding more as I go, so stop back often for new info, resources and more.

More information about me and my work, including fees, is available on my website:

Let me know if I can help you in any way. Business inquiries can contact me at soni[at]sonipitts.com

Some Writerly Projects I'm Working On

Lens: Article Marketing Basics: Just as the title says, this is a lens to inform and instruct people in the business and art of article marketing.
Web Content Awareness Day: I'm a content provider for the Web Content Awareness Day Event which is designed to provide resources, ideas and sources for people who use web content.
EzineArticles Writer's Page: 100+ web articles that I have created as part of the article marketing I do to promote my various enterprises and interests.

Samples and Clips

I am keeping a blog portfolio to post clips as I get them uploaded or linked. You can check out a clip or sample by clicking on the entry, or go see the entire Write Livelihood Portfolio blog itself (including my About Me page and my Resume and Available Services).

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You Might Be A Writer...

Just in case your friends are afraid to tell you

Heh...I just had to include this "definition" of a writer by blogger Paperback Writer, from their Devil's Publishing Dictionary (Part 1, Part 2):

Writer - 1) a masochist with an ink and paper fetish; 2) a damaged creative individual who when confronted with life's unpleasantries retreats to put it all down in words rather than fight like a girl; 3) someone who never forgets anything and will eventually write it in book form; 4) a demented, thin, sad creature in hock up to their neck who truly believes publication will solve all their problems; 5) Peter Pan one step up on the evolutionary ladder.

You might be a writer if you have ever diagrammed a sentence for fun. Bonus points if you ever spent half an hour crafting a paragraph-long, Faulknerian knot of a sentence to make it "really fun."
You might be a writer if, during your trips to the office/school supply store, you resemble a crackhead combing the carpet for dropped rocks.
You might be a writer if anyone has ever had to pull you out of a bookstore using physical force.
You might be a writer if you've ever had frozen food completely thaw or dinner has been late because you got hung up in the grocery store's magazine aisle.
You might be a writer if you've ever been in the midst of being hospitalized, shot at, severely injured, a family meltdown, breaking up with a Significant Other, at a funeral or otherwise experiencing trauma and/or danger and asked yourself, "I wonder if I can get an article out of this?"
You might be a writer if you own enough working ink pens to stock a third-world school.
You might be a writer if you are over the age of 13 and have ever asked for "glittery gel pens" for Christmas.
You might be a writer if all or most of your wardrobe can serve equally well as either daywear or pajamas.
You might be a writer if, upon moving to a new town, you have ever signed up for a library card before getting your utilities turned on.
You might be a writer if you have ever stopped a conversation with a loved one, a colleague or a client so you can write down a particularly well-turned phrase before you forget it.
You might be a writer if the assignment of a term paper has ever made your eyes light up and your body respond like your dream date has just walked into the room wearing nothing but a wicked smile and a layer of body oil.
You might be a writer if a misspelled sign or a bit of clumsy writing makes you visibly flinch.
You might be a writer if you have ever had to physically restrain yourself from editing someone else's work unbidden. Bonus points accrue if you have ever gone ahead and asked if you could edit their work, because not doing so was making your brain hurt.

Writing Resources, Tools and Information

11 Reasons Not to Hire a Freelance Copywriter (and Why They're All Poor Excuses): An article by my friend and fellow copywriter, Dina Giolitto. Good advice well written.
Copyscape: Check the web for plagerized copy. Is someone out there lifting your expensive, original copy for free? Did a shady copywriter sell you plagerized work? Find out by using this nifty little tool.
Basics of Copyright Law: Just the facts, ma'am. Stuff you need to know whether doing it yourself or hiring a copywriter.
Writing For The Web: A group of resources for anyone who's writing digital content.
Ivan Hoffman's Articles for Writers and Publishers: An indispensible library of useful reference material. Somewhat geared toward book writing and traditional publishing, but tons of valuable legal information for all writers and writing formats.
GrammarNOW!: A cluttered, but dense, resource page of writing tips, reference and advice.
Publishing Law Center: A site full of information for the publishing community - publishers, authors, editors, web masters, and freelancers.
Easy English Lens: A cool lens by Michelle Hauser that will help you polish the rough edges of your rusty language skills.
10 flagrant grammar mistakes that make you look stupid: Exactly what it says, and dead on the money. Read it, learn it, use it. (I'm always getting that i.e./e.g thing mixed up.)
LousyWriter.com: An entire website dedicated to wiping out lousy writing. If you even suspect you're writing is lousy (or, more likely, you're sure it isn't), stop by this site for a reality check and some professional help.

Writing Advice From John Scalzi

Advice for writers from someone who makes a living doing nothing else.

John Scalzi - author, freelance writer and blogger extraordinnaire - is my writing role-model. Why? Well, for one thing, he makes, like, 6 figures just from writing. And in his "wise sage" mode, he manages to be brutally honest, deeply insightful and hilariously funny all at the same time. Read the following bits of writerly advice and find out for yourself.

Note: Scalzi is currently working on a book compilaton of his writing advice, titled You're Not Fooling Anyone When You Take Your Laptop to a Coffee Shop: Scalzi on Writing

John Scalzi's Utterly Useless Writing Advice: Contrary to the title, this is a golden piece of "How Do I Become A Freelance Writer" insider information that every aspiring professional freelancer and author should read.
Even More Long-Winded (But Practical) Writing Advice: More advice for writers, this time centering around common writerly attitudes and angst.
My So-Called Writing Life: A brief foray into the daily life of a professional writer.
The Real World Book Deal Descriptions: A short, humorous take on the ranking of book deals, as formulated by a group of convivially inebriated writers at a convention.
The John Scalzi Agent FAQ: A basic Q&A about agents - how to get them, how much they charge and why you need one.
Writing Tips for Non-Writers Who Don't Want to Work at Writing: Some basic writing tips for the rest of the world (ie: people who for some unaccountable reason don't want to write for a living).
10 Things Teenage Writers Should Know About Writing: Just what the title says, a great advice post to young writers from someone who's been there and can look back from a position of knowing better.

Write Livelihood Blogroll

Blogs by writers, about the life of writers and about writing

Whatever: Author and pro writer John Scalzi's personal blog.
A Writer's Life: Blog by television writer Lee Goldberg (Monk, Diagnosis Murder, and others).
Miss Snark, Literary Agent: Snarky industry advice to aspiring writers from an insider's perspective.
A Newbie's Guide to Publishing: JA Konrath's blog on making a living as a genre writer.
The Golden Pencil: A freelance writer's resource blog.
Articles That Sell: Resource blog for online, article marketing and PR writers.
Angela Booth's Writing Blog: Copywriter Angela Booth's blog for writers.
Word Rider: Blog on copywriting and marketing.
Evil Editor - why you don't get published: Take-no-prisoners critiques of real query letters. Invaluable advice for the query-impaired.