Now is a good time to tidy up and tie off any loose ends. The next couple of weeks are going to be hectic for many of us as we celebrate our holidays, travel and prepare for the year ahead. Here are a few things you might want to do now, to save yourself some time later. Get As Much Work Done As Possible Not only do you want to not have to worry about work during this festive time, your clients will appreciate not having to work as well. If you complete your assignments before your deadline, you’re allowing [Read more…]

Recently a couple of fellow bloggers called me a freelance writing and blogging “expert.” This couldn’t be farther from the truth. I’m by no means an expert. What you see on my blogs is me sharing what I’m learning, and indeed this is a learning process. Here are the things I’m hoping to learn more about in 2008: Print Publishing: I know quite a bit about the world of online writing. I’ve been writing web content since 2000 and was editor at a couple of major information portals. Though I spent over a dozen years in magazine publishing and wrote [Read more…]

My guys let me sleep in until 9 this morning! This is the first time in several years (with the exception of when I was sick) that I’ve slept past 7:00. A morning like this just does wonders. I can’t tell you how much I got done so far today. And while I’m feeling ambitious… … a little Saturday afternoon link love: Extra for Every Publisher is featuring 15 Amazing Women in Blogging. They’re discussing the 7 deadly fears of writing at Web Content Writer Tips. Courtney offers even more tips for staying focused during the holidays at Web Writing [Read more…]

~ Jennifer Chait Is your own. Do you re-read your own blog? I hope you said yes. If not it’s time to start. If you have many blogs this can be a daunting task; especially if your blogs are older, with plenty of content. Some of my blogs are old and stuffed so I break it up. Once a month I read one month’s worth of posts from each of my blogs. It doesn’t take that long, it’s a nice break from my regular work, and re-reading offers me plenty of perks such as… It offers me new ideas: One [Read more…]

Reading all of your pet peeves yesterday, reminds me of all the words I tend to overuse, like “great”. If you read any of my blogs, you’ll see what I mean. “Amazing” is another. I should throw “just” into the mix as well. The funny thing is, when I worked in publishing I was forever whipping out the thesaurus for other writers’ work, now I find myself suffering from overused word syndrome too. There are ways to get around this, of course. Using the aforementioned thesaurus or dictionary helps. Still, when I’m in a rush you’re certain to see lots [Read more…]

Let’s have a little fun today. The past few days were entirely too serious, so let’s laugh a little. I was listening to the local news and a county official used a word I hate “irregardless.” Actually it’s a non-word. it doesn’t exist. Irregardless, like “for all intensive purposes” and “where’s it at” are the grammatical equivalent of nails across a black board for me. Here are a few more I can’t stand: 1 AM in the morning. – Um…doesn’t AM indicate morning? Using “loose” instead of lose – Two different words meaning too different things. They’re even pronounced differently. [Read more…]

Michael Stelzner announced his Top 10 Blogs for Writers for 2007/2008 today. I’m pleased to report Freelance Writing Jobs is in the number two spot for the second year in a row. To come in second to Copyblogger is indeed an honor. This year’s list offers some wonderful new blogs for you to check out. What’s especially great is how many FWJ regulars have blogs on this list. Check out the great writing blogs from our friends Amy Derby, Courtney Ramirez, James Chartrand and Harrison McCleod, Jennifer Williamson and Lorna Doone Brewer and Tamara Berry. They’re some of the talented [Read more…]

So, it’s holiday time. No matter what you celebrate, you’re probably finding yourself having to re-think your priorities. While it’s true many writers like to lighten their loads for December, some of also take on extra work in order to ease the pinch of holiday spending. The problem is, how do you manage holiday preparation and enjoyment while still meeting your clients’ needs? Plan Ahead Make a plan for December as early as possible, especially if you know you’re going to load up on work. Perhaps you can appoint a babysitter to come over so you can get a couple [Read more…]

Just curious. Though the title of my blog is “Freelance Writing Jobs” the truth is, we cater to both writers and bloggers. Which one are you and why? <a href=”http://www.polldaddy.com” >survey software</a> – <a href=”http://www.polldaddy.com/p/151172/” >Take Our Poll</a>

Happy Saturday, friends. It’s chilly and precipitous on the East Coast. I hope you’re all somewhere warm and dry! Welcome to this weekend’s festival of link love. As always, there’s some great writing stuff mixed in with some other cool links I hope you enjoy. What Will Happen to Your Blog if Something Happens to You? This is something that’s been on my mind a lot lately. My blogs, this one in particular, mean a lot to me. I’d hate to see them languish in cyber space if something happens. At Performancing. 10 Words to Avoid in Your Writing at [Read more…]

By Jennifer Chait Because I love blogs and blogging so much, it’s hard to admit that the relationship between a specific blog and I are over. I put a lot of time into all my blogs and when it comes to paid positions there’s the additional fact that you know all these other people applied but you won the slot. It’s hard to let go. It’s honestly akin to real life break-ups; at least for me. Also, I hate feeling like I’ve failed (which by the way is not true — quitting a blog does not make you a failure [Read more…]

Yesterday I came across a post at About Freelance Writing about how the same people you meet at blogs such as this are also your competition. The inspiration from the article came from this one at e Moms at Home. At both blogs I left friendly comments about how all the writers I come across are pleasant and helpful and I consider them colleagues rather than competition. Oh sure, every now and then you’ll come across one or two insecure writers who do view others to be their competition, but for the most part we’re all friends. In fact, I’ll [Read more…]

This is the time of year when we all start talking about our goals. Last year, on my (sadly now-defunct) Finding the Right Words blog, I listed my goals for 2007. I’m happy to report I met or exceeded several of these goals. For instance, I earned more than I had set out to, and I transitioned from copy and content writing to full time blogging. There were also some goals I still need to work on, for instance, proofreading. I have a bad habit of firing off a post without giving it a good look over. I didn’t finish [Read more…]

Well, I just lost cable for a while, which put me in a foul, foul mood. I think it’s time for a humor break. Here are some fun places to find examples of bad writing: Some Snippets: Examples of Bad Writing for Your Amusement and Horror When Bad Writing Becomes Funny Engrish.com – My absolute favorite place to go for a laugh. Bad Headlines: Double Meanings from Around the World Funny Cover Letter Examples Bad Resumes The Blog of Unnecessary Quotation Marks How’s Your Vocabulary? (I got a B+ guess I need to study more.) Stupid Essays Update 12/8/07 – [Read more…]

Where do you find your ideas? I take inspiration from everywhere! Sometimes an idea pops in my head while I’m driving, or reading or watching television, other times I visit another blog or website and think, “hmmm….I’d like to expand on that.” There’s nothing wrong with taking your inspiration from other sources, as long as you remember to provide attribution. All writers and bloggers borrow ideas. The good writers and bloggers know enough to thank and credit the person with the original idea. Some unethical writers borrow words and topics while misleading their readers into thinking their ideas are original. [Read more…]