The 10 Best Articles for Writers – October 2011

I just have to say — there’s been some tasty articles about freelancing out there this month! Most of these folks I’ve been reading quite a while, but some of them haven’t popped up on my monthly best-of lists until now. There are a few fresh new faces, too.
I’m seeing themes here of blogging best practices, and marketing tips. Enjoy!

1. The #1 Reason You Aren’t Earning at Least $100/Hour by Ruth Zive on The Freelance Writing Blog. Ruth has only been freelancing a few years, but she’s a longtime writing pro who’s already giving back and helping folks out with some inspirational posts. NOTE: The Freelance Writing Blog is no longer active.
2. 5 Social Media Myths Disproved by Dan Zarella on FixCourse. This site is new to me, but Dan Zarella isn’t — watch for his interesting, data-backed advice to pop up all over the Interwebs. NOTE: FixCourse is no longer active.
3. 12 of the Best About Pages on the Internet by The Blog Tyrant on Blog Tyrant. If you haven’t discovered the mysterious, 25-year-old Australian Blog Tyrant, I’ve been reading him for quite a while and he has some solid information, so happy to find a chance to include one of his rants here.
4. Attention Writers: These 3 Simple Tricks Will Help You Make More Money with Less Effort by Sean Platt on GhostwriterDad. Sean is one of the hardest-working helpers of freelance writers out there. He’s actually madly busy writing his serialized apocalyptic novel Yesterday’s Gone with David Wright, but still takes time to help you make more money. I think that’s awfully nice of him.
5. How to Battle Scope Creep in a Writing Assignment by Linda Formichelli on The Renegade Writer. Now that I’ve brought Linda on as the Other Den Mother in Freelance Writer’s Den, I have a bit more free time…to read her great posts! This one’s got practical help for coping with one of the biggest problems in the freelancing game.
6. How to Write What People Actually Want to Read by Mary Jaksch on Write to Done. I think this is Mary’s first appearance on my monthly best-of lists, which is really weird, since I always devour everything she posts. Just a reminder to stop guessing what to write about, and go find out what people actually want to know. Seems simple, yet so many bloggers don’t do it.
7. Make Your Blog the Event of the Year (and Have People Clamor to Attend) by Tea the Word Chef on Problogger. Tea sets up a tasty analogy here on how blogging is like a dinner party, and makes it really work all the way through. Memorable post.
8. Moving Beyond Job Boards by Jenn Mattern on All Freelance Writing. Jenn has responded to the crash in available assignments at Demand Studios with a whole series of articles on how to move on from mills. We’re of a mind about online ads — stop wasting so much time on those and work on more productive types of marketing, folks.
9. The Ultimate Guide to Getting More Referrals and Increasing Word of Mouth by James Clear of Passive Panda. I discovered James at International Freelancers Day back in September. This is a long post that’s packed with great tips. Hoping to have James come guest on a Den Meeting call before the end of the year, but until then, you can read this for some sound advice on how to  get the clients coming your way without having to market your ass off.
10. What a Painted-On Bikini Can Teach You About Writing Words That Sell by Danny Iny on DIYThemes. Danny writes a good headline, hmm? The article is just as good. Great tips for writing persuasive sales copy here.