This is a series of articles I've written about writing, specifically about the problems faced by (a) the new writer who isn't selling enough work yet to make a living or (b) the older writer who isn't selling as much as they used to.  All viewpoints herein are mine and are subject to amendment as I grow older and wiser, assuming either of those things ever happens.

Part 01: Introduction to the series.

Part 02: Having realistic expectations and watching out for people who dangle offers that they are not prepared to follow up on.

Part 03: Some jobs are unattainable simply because they do not really exist. Why chasing them is a waste of time, effort and passion.

Part 04: Don't think you've been rejected when you really haven't been. A mistake too many writers make.

Part 05: Why you should not ask other writers (me, especially) to read your script.

Part 06: If you're not getting where you're going, maybe you're trying to go to the wrong place.

Part 07: Another common mistake: Overlooking work you might be able to get…or passing it up for bad reasons.

Part 08: Things that make you look like an amateur and why that's a bad thing to look like.

Part 09: How writers seeking work are a lot like actors seeking work and how they both have to learn to play a game where they are powerless to change the rules.

Part 10: Dealing with anger and learning where you should and should not direct it.

Part 11: How to survive when no one is paying you or no one is paying you on time.

Part 12: Why bragging about your writing jobs is a bad idea and why sticking your friends' names in your scripts is probably also unwise.

Part 13: Sometimes, it's a good gamble to write on spec but most of the times it's not.

Part 14: Some tips on when it's a good idea to not work on spec.

Part 15: Some more tips on when it's a good idea to not work on spec.

Part 16: A letter from a writer who worked on spec and sort of regrets it.

Part 17: Why it's not a good idea to apply for a job that isn't open and why it helps to understand the rules of the buyer.

Part 18: All about a writer who's real angry about not having more success and about how that anger is making any success less likely.

Part 19: Soft deadlines and hard deadlines, how to tell the difference between them and why you should meet both kinds.

Part 20: Why you should never appear desperate (even if you are) and why you shouldn't sell yourself too hard.

Part 21: What makes a professional writer a professional writer and why you should not be leery of accepting jobs from strangers.

Part 22: Don't count on your buddies to give you work and why it isn't all a matter of "I'll hire you and then you hire me!"

Part 23: Follow your dream but make sure that your dream isn't for the industry you want to work in to completely change the way it operates in order to accommodate you.

Part 24: Writing should be good but it should also be useful. Those are not always the same thing.

Part 25: Why do some writers get hired all the time? Because the person doing the hiring knows they won't get into trouble for making that decision.