I’m overwhelmed at the outpouring of kindness and support after my little dive off the deep end yesterday. Thank you so much for your kind emails and comments!
As you know, I started this blog three years ago as a way to share jobs with friends and work at home moms. I’m still surprised by it’s success, but I’m also loving every minute of it. Yesterday I receive a lovely email from Katherine Swan, a regular visitor to FWJ and I wanted to share a couple of lines with you:
You’ve had a lot of writers mention in the last couple of posts how long they’ve been visiting your site. You ought to write a post that invites everyone to say how long they’ve been readers. Your site amazes me because you have such a fantastic mix of loyal, long-time readers and newbies. You’ve obviously done an excellent job of maintaining a site that appeals to both!
That’s a wonderful idea. I know many of you since before FWJ – since the Write for Cash days. Many of you are newer friends too. So tell me…us, how long have you been visiting FWJ? How did you find us and what makes you keep coming back?
Thank you again for your continued support. I can’t wait until guest blogging month next month and look forward to reading and discussing your posts.
With gratitude,
Deb
I think it was June or July of 2007, Deb. I was reeled in by the job leads, but I stayed because I learn a lot from you and the rest of the community.
For me, I would say Spring of 2007. Stumbled across it for the job leads but found the conversations to be even better!
I’ve been around for a year and a half–although thinking about that makes it sound impossible that it’s been that long! I was directed here as a newbie by other writers to look for job leads, but really come for the commentary more than anything. I just like the people here!
I started reading your blog at the beginning of last year. I continue to read it because as Marietta said, I have learned a lot.
I just got the opportunity to read yesterday’s posts. Deb, I’m sorry to see that people don’t realize that ranting at you is basically killing the messenger. Salaries across most job categories have been dropping for the last few years as companies stuggle to stay competitive. Everyone knows about the number of layoffs at newspapers as ad revenues continue to disappear. Just read the business section of any paper to see that layoffs are still happening on a large scale (AT&T, Citigroup to name a recent few). Companies are opting to chop salaries as part of their overall restructuring efforts. So, if these very vocal critics of your blog want to rant, they should start directing their efforts at those who are causing their salaries to decline. To paraphrasea a famous quote, you don’t make the salaries, you just report them.
Hi Deb
I think that I’ve been visiting your site for a couple of years now almost daily. I appreciate all that you and Jodee do. I think that I just googled Freelance wiritng one day, and it brought me to you. I bookmarked you and I’ve been returning ever since. I love that you post such a variety of writing gigs to accomodate the writing niches that we have. I’m not just here for the leads, I love to read the comments.
Deb-
Hang in there.
You are about good things only and don’t listen to anyone who says anything else!
I’ve been coming here for about 18 months or so. I saw a reference on an online message board about “the infamous Deb Ng” – by which I understood the writer to mean “legendary” and I thought, “I need to check this out!” I never thought that our paths would cross in the way they have and that I would be a part of this wonderful community.
It’s been two years since I started freelancing and I believe I learned about your blog in the first few months of it. I don’t look at the job boards all the time but even when I’m not in the market for new gigs, I really enjoy the discussions.
I’ve been visiting FWJ for the past year or so. I think I originally found the site through a Google search and looked through the job leads, though now I visit almost every day to read your awesome posts. I’m usually shy and don’t join in the comments, but this month I’ve piped up to show my support for FWJ as some of the recent letters made me very cross! Deb and Jodee, I think you do a fantastic job and I’m glad you’re tougher than me and can ignore the detractors!
I started visiting a little more than a year ago. I was working for a company that paid me slave wages for the writing I did, and I was frustrated. I knew there had to be a way to make a decent income freelancing. A Google search led me here, and I started visiting regularly. I subscribed, landed a few jobs from your listings, and I stay around for all of the great information you give us.
Keep up the great work!
Hmm, good question. I think I started popping in about a year ago, only for the leads. Then, it became one of my first thing in the morning blogs and still is (I’m in bed as I write this!).
I check a few times throughout the day to see if anything new has been posted and I make sure I check the leads each and every single day. YOu just never know when something is going to pop up.
You would not believe it but I continue to strive to find a site as good as FWJ in the UK…. in fact I cannot find a site that even begins to compare.
Despite the fact that few jobs are relevant to me living in the UK, I still without fail log on to the site daily. Also because I am in the UK I check several times a day to see if your daily post has appeared! (we are a few hours ahead)
I’ve been visiting the site for about 6 months and it is truly terrific – PLEASE don’t go anywhere!
Only about a month, but I like what I see.
I’ve been with you since day one, Deb. And I credit your job leads for keeping me in the freelance field after Write For Cash folded. It was my first and only writing job at the time – kept me as busy as I wanted to be. When it ended, I didn’t know what step to take next. But then you and some helpful others started Writer’s Row and you stepped up with this blog. I had a support group and a central place to look for leads. It kept me going in the beginning of my career.
Even though we have never met face to face, I consider you a friend and colleague.
Welcome both new friends and old. I can’t describe the feeling I get as I watch this blog grow and make new friends. I was looking back at some very old posts (look for some “best of’s) that were lost when I switched over from Blogger and am just amazed at how much I grew as a writer and how much we grew as a community. I’m still trying to find a huge way to say thank you.
@Robin – You, my friend, will always have a very special place in my heart. We go way back and will continue to go forward together. I look forward to our lunch one day!
I remember the Write for Cash days! Wow, that was a few moons ago, wasn’t it?
I read over the upset of the past few days. My take? You can’t please everyone. Honestly, that’s how I’d view it. Everyone has his or her own personal pain point when it comes to payment. While I’ve preached on my blog endlessly about writers having the courage to demand what they’re worth, there are still way too many working for clips only.
Look, you posted the jobs with the payment. You said they were nice to work for. Those who didn’t find it their cup of tea should simply move on, not attack the messenger. Reminds me a bit of the Tippy Tea controversy of a month ago, eh? I’ve contended for a while now that the ability to give an opinion on the Internet without going face-to-face with the person you’re talking to has resulted in more mean-spirited attacks. Subtlety is lost in an electronic age.
I found you late in 2007 and now visit several times a day. I’ve picked up so much useful info here – cover letters, things to be wary of. You guys do an awesome job!
I’ve been coming here for a little over 2 years – landed my first freelance gig from a job post here and got the courage to quit the rat race and dive in. Many thanks!
Two years for me. This is my favorite site and the one where I can always count on leads.
Rant on and don’t worry about it, Deb. Venting is good for the soul.
Deb, I have been visiting FWJ since 2007 and I have to congratulate you on the fab job that you and jodee do..I have learnt so much from this community and the deft way with which you deal with the scumbags who write rude emails.. I recently had to deal with a nasty comment on one of my blog posts rather then get riled up and retort ..I reflected on the way you reply to nasty emails and replied in a similar manner.. Thank you !!!
I’ve only been coming for 4-6 months, but I wish I’d known about this place before that. I learned about it over at the freelance forum at AbsoluteWrite and have been visiting here religiously ever since.
Deb, I have been visiting FWJ for about 7 months and it’s been such a great resource. I’ve gotten several gigs from your site and your advice is always so helpful. Don’t let those negative people get you down!
Deb, I have been visiting FWJ since spring of last year. Visiting FWJ is part of my morning routine. Don’t let others get you down. You’re doing an excellent job. Please keep the leads and posts coming.
Hello:
I was so excited to discover your site yesterday. I’m a newbie and am trying to transition from a SAHM (stay-at-home mom) to a WAHM.
With nobody to ask questions of, this is GREAT!!! I’m so grateful there are writers like you willing to share your knowledge and job leads.
I did read over the past couple of BLOG entries and their related comments. All I have to say is I guess it takes all kinds of people to make the world spin. I loved your classy response to the negative comment. Definitely keep up your great work. I look forward to visiting this site daily from now on. Thank you!
I started visiting regularly October 2007, but had always ventured your way prior to that when you were at Writer’s Row (is that the name – my memory is terrible). Anyway, I love the leads you share, so I’ve been extremely addited!
I came across this site in a google search about 4 months ago. I was looking for a way to make freelance writing permanent and full-time and this site has helped in so many ways. It’s not just the leads, though I love those too! It’s the knowledge and conversations that keep me coming back. Some days I don’t even check the leads but stop in to see what’s going on and what bit of knowledge I can glean from Deb.
I love this site and everything that goes into it! Thanks Deb!
I googled freelance writing listings or something similar to that about a year ago and found your site. I have been coming back since then, although not every day, and some days there are lots of job leads that I apply to and sometimes there aren’t. I keep coming back though because of the other posts that are on the site. I have had months where there were no leads that really fit my niche or were ones that either paid too low or I didn’t have any interest in. I have had some success with your leads and finding work but even without the success, freelance writing jobs is a great place to visit.
Deb,
I’ve been coming here since January of this year. Once I saw what you provided, it quickly became a morning habit. And I’ve gotten my best paying gigs from here, thank you very much.
I’m a mental health counselor, which means I spent extra time in graduate school. I have an idea of what I’d like to make per hour, but it’s really up to insurance companies.
Also, I work in a private practice part time. I have much more flexibility for my kids than when I worked for an agency. But I also have floods and droughts in relation to the amount of clients I have.
I spent one entire year with just two clients a week!! It was extremely frustrating, but I didn’t send a hate letter to my boss or scream at him, or put an editorial in the paper about why some doctors weren’t referring to me.
My boss and I brainstormed in January, I created a specialty, got some more training and other experience, got some publicity, sent letters, and almost a YEAR later I have had a resurgence in referrals, mostly because of one doctor who hooked into me as a resource.
Instead of yelling at everyone, I dug down and did what I needed to and had a lot of patience. That’s what writers need to do as well, which is what I have done in my relatively new writing career.
Reading your blog has also helped me with decorum when I feel frustrated with rude people!!
Thanks,
Erika
Deb,
P.S. I also gather that the more reasonable kind people who are writing to you and visit regularly DO use their patience and personal wherwithal to be resourceful like I said.
The complainers just, well, complain.
I found FWJ last fall through the Absolute Write freelance writer’s forum.
I’m a newbie; I’ve only been visiting for two or three months. My fiance and I were starting to talk about how we wanted the next year or two of our lives to look, and I decided that I wanted to start freelancing seriously. My plan is that by the time we have a kid, I’ll be able to freelance from home.
Ha, that’s maybe a bit more backstory than necessary, but there you go! I’m lucky that FWJ was one of the first sites I found; the combination of job listings and very very intelligent advice is immeasurably valuable to me.
I started visiting just after I graduated college in May of 2006 and wanted to do nothing more than write. I love the conversations that go on here and the topics are always interesting. I always learn something from this community, and that keeps me coming back.
Thank you for your hard work, Deb and Jodee!
I’d say it’s been about a year, more or less. I’m glad I come!
I have been coming here since October 2007. When I started reading this blog, I knew nothing about writing or how to find a paying writing gig. I now have slightly more experience, but am still a newbie. I will keep coming back because I enjoy the motivation and information I get from this community.
Deb, I started visiting regularly over a year ago when I needed to supplement my income as I cut back on my professional weaving and struggled to promote my book and my speaking. Even though I still have only netted one or two jobs from here, the people and the conversations make me visit everyday–just after my email.
And because of your generous spirit, I have also discovered other job sites. And I hooked up with Liz Strauss.
So thanks for all that you and Jodee do.
The problem with the internet is the general anonymity that encourages people to say things rudely, etc, and which is why I don’t get involved in forums and discussions. I am new to this site but I guess no site is immune to this kind of stuff. Complainers are complainers are complainers. I had to go to your “buy me a coffee” button, though,(very cute idea by the way, I may have to borrow it for my horse site and make it “buy a bag of carrots”) and made my first donation ever to anyone; use it for some nice herbal tea or lavendar (or glass of wine:)) and forget about the naysayers. Thanks for your site and your hard work.
I started coming here in June 2007, when I quit my full-time job and decided to freelance full-time instead. I keep coming because I have gotten several great job leads from this site, and I thoroughly enjoy reading the posts.
Thanks, Deb and Jodee, for all of your hard work!
I have been visiting inconsistently for over a year, and almost every day since the beginning of this year.
I can’t seem to remember how I first found this blog, but it was when I started researching the writing business online.
Recently, I participated a writer’s workshop put on by our local Writer’s Guild. One of the classes focused on writing for the web, and the two presenters listed FWJ in our class materials as one of the best places to find online writing jobs.
I think I started in 2006, but definitely since summer 2007. I love this blog, think it is a great service to all freelancers.
I came to check it out, and stay because you’ve got your finger on the pulse of the industry. Thanks!
Deb I have been coming here for almost three years. I don’t remember how I found you exactly (probably wahm.com) but you’ve been a must read every week (if not every day and sometimes multiple times a day).
Thank you!
Hi. I started visiting FWJ in July 2007. I love coming here because you and Jodee both offer some great advice and tips that truly come from the heart. You offer to your readers exactly what you look for – honesty.
I look forward to opening up my reader and seeing what you are talking about daily to spark my thinking and get me going. This is a great community and one that will keep me coming back.
I have cehcking out your website every day since 2007. You and Jodee are doing a great job about posting things us writers need to know. Keep up the great work!!!
I have been coming here for about six months after a friend told me about the site when I was asking about freelance work. Many of the jobs do not work for me, but there are also many that I apply for. One that I received is an ongoing assignment that I love and have tons of fun doing. It has also brought out my more humorous side in my writing. THANK YOU SO MUCH for creating this site an supporting it for us. {{{HUGS}}}
I started here this past December or January, not sure which. I was taking an online writing class, and I think that’s how I heard about your site. I check it every day, and got my first writing gig here — it’s an ongoing project, and pays well — not a $5 content article thing at all. I just check your site in the morning, so I didn’t realize you were getting slammed. People should just not apply to the jobs they feel are insulting. I certainly pass by some listings because I don’t think they pay enough — but that’s my own issue. Overall, well-paying writing jobs are out there, but people have to search for them. If you don’t want to write for content mills, then don’t.
I found this site (under it’s old URL) sometime around November 2006. I remember this time of my life because I was switching to PT teaching and thinking about freelancing FT. After finding your site I realized I wasn’t alone in this freelance thing.
This community gave me the courage to begin freelancing FT in August 2007. This community rocks!
Deb, I’ve been visiting this blog regularly for about a year and half. Maybe not every day, but certainly two or three times each week. I have found a ton of great information from here (not just the job leads) through links and such…it’s a terrific blog from the heart of what I think is a terrific person. Thank you!
I’ve been visiting for almost a year now. I’ve gotten most of my jobs from the leads you post. I think my favorite thing has been the Cover Letter series that you did. It really helped me send out more professional queries and get better gigs. I strongly suggest the newbies check it out.
Thanks for printing my letter and using my suggestion, Deb. It’s already generating quite a showing!
I’m actually not sure exactly when I discovered FWJ. It must have been soon after I started freelancing full time (October 2005), because I remember visiting the site daily in the spring of 2006. By fall of 2006, it was at the top of my list of recommendations for newbies.
I’ve seen FWJ grow from a daily listing of leads to a living, breathing community. There’s literally something here for everyone — which seems to be what bugs the whiners so much. They always sound like they expect the site to be customized according to their preferences!
Deb,
I’ve been visiting FWJ for about 8 months now. I found you through the WAHM boards. I love coming here and listening to what you have to say. The job leads are just a bonus in my opinion. Thanks for providing such a great place for all of us to come and visit!
I starting coming to FWJ sometime in 2006 or 2007, looking for writing jobs. I was drawn in because your site was updated regularly by actual people and wasn’t just another anonymous (and short-lived) web board for writing job listings. It took me longer to discover the discussion topics, but I’ve been hooked by several threads.
Hang in there! You’ve got a lot of support.