Cutting Ties to Low Paying First Jobs When you first start out as a freelance writer, it may seem inconceivable that you will ever have enough work to fill the day, let alone pay the rent. (If you are a new writer, trust me; things will get better.) So, taking a job or two for less money than you’d like is often desirable. Such jobs (and I’m not talking about the $2 or $3 gigs here) can be beneficial because: They give you writing experience. The more you write, the better you get at writing. It’s that simple. The contacts [Read more…]

Thanks to Jason Oliver for helping me to switch to WordPress and also for FWJ’s new look. The upgrade and redesign is just about complete, though we still have a few tweaks here and there. I appreciate your patience! – Deb

Work with Your Personality Type and Maintain Your Social Skills by Crystal Schwanke Working from home has its definite perks. You can watch a movie while you finish those product descriptions. You can wait until 3:00 PM to start “getting ready” for the day. You choose your hours, you choose your projects, and you can wear your pajamas (even if they are flannel!). But are writers who work from home stunting their social growth? Take an introvert—painfully shy, better with the written word than the spoken, and nervous in crowds. They tend to avoid social settings at all costs, and [Read more…]

I’m going to be switching FWJ to WordPress within the next couple of days. Hopefully this won’t break the blog, but if you experience any downtime, this is the reason. Have a great day,

Hi everyone, I have some great weekend discussions lined up with some great guest bloggers. Unfortunately the time got away from me this weekend, (thanks to a little emergency) and I didn’t get a chance to post this weekend’s discussion. Since I like to start my guest bloggers off on Friday, I’d rather just throw out some reader mail today – all about the same topic. Annoying affiliate links. Let’s hear your thoughts. Our guest bloggers return next weekend, I promise. Dear Deb, There are a couple of blogs that list jobs like you. Many of the links lead to [Read more…]

Work with Your Personality Type and Maintain Your Social Skills by Crystal Schwanke Working from home has its definite perks. You can watch a movie while you finish those product descriptions. You can wait until 3:00 PM to start “getting ready” for the day. You choose your hours, you choose your projects, and you can wear your pajamas (even if they are flannel!). But are writers who work from home stunting their social growth? Take an introvert—painfully shy, better with the written word than the spoken, and nervous in crowds. They tend to avoid social settings at all costs, and [Read more…]