Looking Back at 2007: Underachievers

Posted by John Hewitt on 1/4/2008 under Blogging, Freelancing, Writing, Writing Business |

Yesterday, I looked at some of my site’s most successful articles in 2007. Today I want to shine the light on a few articles that I thought were pretty good, but which for whatever reason didn’t catch on with readers. I think they deserve to be read, so here are some articles that I liked, with the reasons why I think you should take a look at them.

10 Ways to Make Editors Hate You Before They Even Know You

After the success of, Want to Write a Novel Badly? Here’s How!, I tried to follow the what not to do formula with this article about the ways freelance writers hurt their chances at getting published. It isn’t as funny, but the advice is right on target.

Five Things a Freelancer Should Know Before Querying a Magazine

This article is a more positive look at the same process. Approaching a magazine with an article idea is a fairly straightforward process, but it is amazing how often writers fail to follow the steps and cost themselves a sale.

Successful Freelance Writers Are Like Pirates

I wrote several article in July about freelancing. This is my favorite, probably because of the pirate theme. The main point though, is that writers should keep stashes. They should stash money, articles, ideas and clients.

Writing Your Way Out of a Wet Paper Sack

This article was written purely for the laughs, but you have to admit the process works.

Four Things Poets Can Learn From George Carlin

George Carlin isn’t just a great comedian, he loves words. This was my attempt to demonstrate how the techniques Carlin uses in in his act and in his life can benefit poets.

How to Freelance for a Private Detective or a Mental Patient

This is a look back at one of my most colorful freelancing clients, a private detective who was a bit erratic but paid cash — in advance. He just disappeared one day, and I haven’t heard from him since.

15 Ways the Harry Potter Books Would Be Different if They Were Written by Bret Easton Ellis

I know why this article didn’t attract many readers. Unless you’ve read the novels of Bret Easton Ellis, especially Less Than Zero and American Psycho, you probably won’t get the jokes. If you have read them though, you’ll laugh… I think.