While I’ve had my head buried in a 20 page paper trying to prove that flash fiction is short story at its most distilled, many of my friends and colleagues have been up to much more interesting things. (More interesting than literary criticism?! I know, I couldn’t I believe it either.)

NaNoWriMo Word Counters

First, a little gift for the NaNoWriMo crowd. Jennifer Mattern over at AllFreelanceWriting.com  has released not one but two new word counters for all your novel writing needs. In the spirit of stripped down, quick and dirty NaNo, one word counter is a simple tool with no bells and whistles to distract you from your furious typing.  On the other hand, if you’re like me and like to procrastinate with shiny new toys, you can check out the super duper word counter that not only counts up, but counts down, tracks your progress toward a goal (like weight loss) or just generally takes care of all of your counting needs.

Scary Freelancing Story Contest

Further, in the spirit of the Halloween season, this week’s SpecialtyBuzz specialist Jake Ponier has started a Scary Freelancing Stories Contest over at FreelanceWriterville II, the Freelancewriterville.com Social Networking community. Submit your tale of “vampirish clients, very unfortunate events, or deadliest deadlines” for a chance to win a $10 Amazon.com gift card.

Don’t forget to sign up for FreelanceWriterville II while you’re there.

Days of Gratitude eBook Released

Just in time for Thanksgiving, someone I am very thankful for, my friend Vanessa Lowery, released an ebook calledDays of Gratitude.  The book consists of 30 gratitude exercises that will only take 5 to 10 minutes per day, so you could probably squeeze it in around Nano, writing, business management, family, and Thanksgiving no sweat. Earlier in my freelancing career, Vanessa helped me immensely, so I can testify that she won’t steer you wrong!

Everybody have a safe and happy Halloween weekend!

See what I did there? It's a "link" post. Hah...

While I pretend to watch my imaginary tan fade, please do enjoy:

Shhh… Don’t be afraid freelance writers [FreelanceWriterville.com] – Thinking you might feel more secure with a boss and a corporate gig? Think again.

10 Tax Tips You Can Use Now to Avoid Pitfalls Later [FreelanceFolder.com] – We’ll just say that I could have used this about two years ago. Stuck? Check out “When to Hire an Accountant” on the same blog.

A Word to the Cheapskates [Words on the Page] – Word, Lori. Word.

How to Make Money from Your Site [WanttoFreelance.com] – I’ve been toying with writing this post ever since I took a great seminar with the founder of Atlanta super blog DriveraFasterCar.com. Now I don’t have to. Thanks, Nacie!

Defending Your Prices [CatalystBlogger] – If you’ve ever found yourself bending to a client’s request to lower your regular rates, check out Jennifer Williamson’s post for a little backup.

‘Tis the Season – Almost…. 35 Gifts for Writers [Fuel Your Writing] – Not sure what you want for the holidays? Point your friends and family here. (Or, you know, buy things for your other writer friends.)

45 Free Things for Writers [Freelance Writing Jobs] – Impulse control issues? Forget waiting for the holidays, snag some free stuff NOW.

Writing Meme: Strengths and Advice [Hell or High Water] – Need a little ego boost? Or maybe a reminder about just exactly why you chose this crazy life? Take a few minutes for this little exercise. If you do it and link your answer here, I’ll do it, too!

Okay, so these were just the great posts I found over the past few days. Man, you guys are prolific. And thanks, as always, for getting me back into the swing of the writing life by sharing your thoughts, insights and fighting words!