The links I’m sharing this week feel a bit random, but they all have one thing in common: words. You probably expect that. Some weeks lend themselves to themes, such as memoir, but not always. One trend I did notice in my reading this week was that it seemed lighter than normal. Fall tends to bring new work, new projects and, for parents, back-to-school activities. I’m already thinking about scheduling a day or two off. Something tells me I’m not alone in this. Maybe in November…at least, there’s always Thanksgiving.

• Freelancedom How Writing Forced Me Out of My Comfort Zone Fellow blogger and writer Steph Auteri has made no secret of the fact that she likes interacting with the world through her keyboard and the solitary life of a writer tends to suit her. So how do you get from being an introverted “word nerd” to reading your writing in front of a crowd? You’ll have to read her post to find out.

• Need to Know on PBS The Daily Need Word of the Day Retronym “a word or phrase for something that now has to be specified because it is no longer identifiable in its original state.” A little something different for my link round-up this week, but I couldn’t resist sharing it.

• The New York Times Arts Beat Trying the iTunes Model for Essays Writer Julie Bosman brings up an interesting question. Would you buy a single essay? How much would you pay for it? I like this idea and would buy a single essay as well as a group of themed essays (there’s an example of this in the article). This could be a way for literary magazines and writers to make money on their work. Of course, I’d still buy printed essay collections. What about you?

• The Steve Laube Agency Blog That Conference Appointment Helpful, no-nonsense tips for editor and agent meetings at conferences. Keep this post for future reference.

Your turn. Any opinions, blog posts or articles on writing and/or freelancing you’d like to share? Post away in the comments below. Thanks!